


Electric Poison

by orphan_account



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, But you love them, Canon-Typical Violence, Enemies to Lovers, Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, Friends to Enemies, Implied Sexual Content, Jack and Gabriel are sentimental, Jesse and Hanzo are idiots, M/M, Major Character Injury, Major Original Character(s), Men have feelings, No Smut, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Overwatch - Freeform, Overwatch Recall, People fall in love a little too easily, Post-Fall of Overwatch, Shimada bros are bros, Team Talon (Overwatch), i am trying, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:07:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 41,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23881318
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: After the Recall, Overwatch is eager to rid the world of danger with as little damage as possible. Talon operates against them, working to create peace through conflict and war.On an attack to weaken Talon forces in Rialto, a rescue mission gone wrong quickly turns into something good. And from Overwatch's mistakes, a new hero emerges.OrA Talon operative is sent on a mission to find out as much as they can on Overwatch through a new recruit, but instead finds themselves stuck fighting for two things they can't have: a family and a dream.
Relationships: Emily/Lena "Tracer" Oxton, Genji Shimada/Angela "Mercy" Ziegler, Jesse McCree/Hanzo Shimada, Original Female Character/Original Male Character, Reaper | Gabriel Reyes/Soldier: 76 | Jack Morrison
Comments: 2
Kudos: 23





	1. Brace for Impact

Fighting in Rialto was a common occurrence. In a city with such a high crime rate, it is not something that could be easily ignored. Living and getting by was possible, but still difficult nonetheless. Talon's presence wasn't helping; gangs roamed the streets like dogs and sat at every corner. Civilians were confined to their tiny homes. Children couldn't play outside like they used to, and going out alone was like playing a dangerous game with death. But humans have always been resilient. They would find their way through any problem one way or the other, and it was more evident now than ever. People have hopes and dreams and will do anything to reach them.

Anything.

.

.

.

It didn't seem possible that Arin's day could get any worse. Earlier that evening, she was making dinner when chaos came crashing down right outside her kitchen window. A group of soldiers on the ground were looking through building after building searching for anyone in association with Talon. And in the air? Planes and airships.

Apparently, Overwatch called for a _small scale_ attack on Talon headquarters, which was a dangerous thing to do after being pushed out by almost everyone in the world. That somehow didn't stop them. It seemed like Overwatch was succeeding in pushing Talon out... but also causing the homes closest to their base to crumble and fall at their feet.

Arin only knew this because her own house was on fire.

The sound of her mother screaming and her brother's sobbing filled her ears. The little boy by her waist, her brother Marco, was clinging to her jeans so tight that the seams were ready to rip. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't scared.

Arin stood on the doorstep with her brother as she took in the horrendous sight around her. Buildings and apartments that once stood proud and tall were now falling to pieces and ablaze. Power lines on the ground were the only thing stopping her and her little brother from reaching safety. On the other side her mom stood with a group of Overwatch members coming to rescue them. They all looked very... _unique_. There were five of them, but one man in heavy armor looked like he could take the spot of three whole people. She shunned herself for the comment. Now probably wasn't the time to be judging how they looked. Arin looked at the woman in a blue coat. She stepped forward, coming off as calm and collected.

"Arin, I'm going to need you to toss Marco over. Can you do that?"

The lady's appearance didn't do anything to relax her, but she picked up her brother anyway. Arin knew she could throw Marco; he was only a few years old and was about as thin as a noodle. Yet, it felt like there was something keeping her from going through with it.

Arin looked down and kissed Marco's forehead. She felt his tears stain her jacket and she could feel her own tears building. Deep down she knew that she had to be strong. Strong for the little boy in her arms.

"Marco, let go. You heard the lady. It looks like that cowboy right there is going to catch you." Arin pointed to a man dressed head to toe in clothes that looked like they were pulled straight out of a western film. He stepped forward and held out his arms, and even she couldn't help but think that he looked safe. "Haven't you always wanted to meet a cowboy? He won't hurt you, _caro_ , I promise," She whispered into Marco's ear. She could only image how terrifying this looked to him. Arin wouldn't blame him if he really didn't want to go.

But Marco did as he is told and slowly loosened his grip. He didn't say anything, but that reassured her. He was never the kind of boy to complain. She forced herself to smile. "Good job, Marco." Arin moved as close as she could to the edge of the steps and steadied herself. "Okay, we're ready!" She called to the man and he started counting down for them.

"3!" Marco closed his eyes and Arin watched her mother hold on to the arm of a young woman next to her.

"2!" Arin cradled Marco and shifted her body.

"1!" After a brief moment of hesitation, she let him go.

It would have been crazy to do something like that if Arin didn't trust the people on the other side. It nearly frightened her that she felt so confident in throwing Marco over to a man she had never met before in her life. Marco screamed as he went and it pained her to hear such a sound come from him. But when she watched the cowboy catch her brother safely and hold him tight, she let let go of the tension in her body. He was safe, and Arin could rest knowing that he wouldn't be in danger again.

The woman that talked to her earlier stepped forward again. "Now you're going to jump across, okay?"

Arin knew she would have to at some point, but damn, she really didn't want to. She had almost convinced herself that there would be another way around it, but as she looked around, it became very clear to her that no, there wasn't any other way.

She stood in the doorway of her small home, taking a brief moment to look back into the kitchen where life used to be easier. Arin imagined little Marco playing with the toy gun he got when they live in the United States. She thought about her mom teasing her for her choice of seasoning for their food, but never complaining about the taste in the end. She had lived most of her life in this small house. As she turned around and looked at her mom, Arin could tell that she knew exactly what was going on inside her head.

The cowboy that caught Marco was now held his arms out for her too, encouraging her.

Arin's body was yelling at her to get away from the now growing fire behind her, something she had nearly forgotten, but in order to move forward she needed to go back. She moved dangerously close to the flames and she felt her heart racing in her chest. Arin had gone through many difficult things in the past 22 years, but nothing as difficult as this. What if she fell? If she died, what would happen to her mom and Marco?

Arin wasn't given much time to think about the details, because she could hear part of the house give way as the fire grew. It was going to fall, and if she was near it when it did, she would be in trouble.

Her gaze caught the cowboy moving closer to her. His southern drawl caught all of her attention. "Darlin', you have to jump. I'll be right here to catch you, I promise, but you have to trust me." And Arin did. She did trust him, and that was enough for her.

She spat out a curse and threw herself over.

Arin felt weightless in the air; it was such a new feeling to her. A rush of adrenaline swept through her body and she nearly smiled. The distance between her and the cowboy grew shorter and shorter.

But at the same moment her feet left the ground, she couldn't help but notice the ringing of a gun echo through the air. And in the next second, she felt the force of something push her back. There was a new searing hot pain in her thigh, but the thing she found the most worrying was that the ground was suddenly moving up to her. No, wait.

She was falling.

A scream ripped itself from her throat as she hit the ground with a thud. In milliseconds, the electricity of the power lines surged through her body. The pain was agonizing. Nothing she had ever felt before was this painful. Arin's body went numb and fell limp.

She heard her mother scream.

Is this what dying felt like?

There was a tug on her jacket. Her vision tunneled.

If this was death, she hated it.

At least, if she did die, she knew she went down trying.

Arin looked up at the sky one last time, and then she saw nothing.

.

.

.

Kaylo knew he was fucked from the second he woke up from his nap.

He had heard rumors that Overwatch might attack Talon, and they thought they were prepared, and he personally would have felt prepared any other day. But this is what Overwatch wanted, wasn't it? To catch everyone off guard. Kaylo had just gotten done in the lab with Moira when he got the call from Gabriel that there were planes in the sky heading straight towards Rialto.

Now he was running down the long corridor with Sombra and Moira at his side. The sound of gunfire and bombs were ringing in his ears and the building shook with every new sound.

He saw Gabriel whisk past them, and Kaylo watched the man reappear from mist in front of the team. "We're surrounded."

He caught Sombra's snarky smile before it was quickly swept off of her face. "I think we already knew that, _tonto_. Where are we going to go?"

Choosing to ignore her remark, Gabriel continued, "Ogundimo has a bunker on the outside of the city. He kept it a secret for an event like this."

Nothing was said after that. Although he'd been in Talon for a few years now, Kaylo didn't think they had any backup plans. It didn't seem to fit their ride or die attitude. But he didn't complain; he would much rather sit in a bunker deep underground than get blown to pieces by Overwatch.

As they emerged from the building, it was clear Talon was fighting hard. The streets were lined with so many guns and people that he couldn't tell the difference between Talon and Overwatch anymore. How no one saw them come out of the building was beyond Kaylo.

He took the chance to look back, and he saw the south building, where the laboratory once stood, was now toppled over and spewing flames into the sky.

Oh, how he hated everything Overwatch stood for.

The laboratory was like a home to him. It's where he spent most of his days–and occasionally, most of his nights–practicing with Moira, and making his own little creations. It's where he found his calling as a chemist, and where he rightfully earned his name as Venom. Spending day after day in the lab making poisons and grenades was something he found fun. Kaylo had put so much work into making the space feel like his. It was where he could get away when things got too tough.

What was he doing? He could always make a new home, he thought. Although he would miss all of the things he made from scratch, he had more pressing matters at hand.

Gabriel led them through a back alley way and up onto the roof of a still standing building. From there, out of harms way, they made their way towards the outskirts of the city.

And they would have been there much faster if they didn't have to stop on the way.

In front of him, Gabriel halted by the edge of the building. Adjacent to them was a group of Overwatch members helping a woman and a little boy out of their burning home. There was an exposed power line lying on the ground out front with no direct way around.

"Shoot her."

Kaylo snapped his head towards Sombra. Was she crazy? They could be shot down in a second if Overwatch figured out where that bullet came from. "Shoot her? Why?"

Sombra smiled. "They can't save everybody. And definitely not this pretty little goody too-shoes."

When Kaylo looked to Moira and Gabriel for any sort of objection, they said nothing. That was enough for him to draw his weapon. His pistol, with laced darts he made himself, might he add, was something Kaylo held dear to his heart. When it was fired, it never failed to please him. The recoil filled his body with adrenaline, and he would never want to stop.

However, on this special occasion, more than one shot would get them in trouble. From Kaylo's view, he couldn't clearly see the Overwatch team, but he could hear them. He didn't have a straight shot due to the smoke, so he waited for a moment. He rubbed his thumb down the barrel of his pistol and watched.

As the smoke cleared, he finally saw the girl. Kaylo knew he wasn't going to get another chance like that again, so he took his stance and aimed. The boy was no longer with the woman, so he assumed she would be jumping over next. For a brief moment he admired her bravery. And he couldn't lie-she _was_ pretty. Kaylo almost let himself feel sorry.

When the girl lined up with the barrel of his gun, Kaylo inhaled sharply.

But before he had the chance to fire, the rumble of the building startled him. He panicked and pulled the trigger, only being able to see the bullet graze her leg before Gabriel yanked him from the edge.

The group quick picked up speed and got the hell off of the falling apartment complex. Kaylo felt a wave of energy rush through him as he danced with danger. He purposely faltered on his leaps, enjoying the feeling of toying with death. He almost shamed himself for liking it, but he kept doing it every chance he got. It was odd how he could both love and hate something so easily.

With each new jump on every new building they came closer to safety. The canals were within view now. Kaylo could even see other Talon members race towards boats. None of them actually belonged to Talon, but they took whatever they could get their hands on.

They raced down the building and found a boat that could accommodate the weight of the four of them and Gabriel pulled out a blade. With one fluid motion, he cut the rope that connected the boat to the dock.

And with a push, they set sail.

Kaylo reloaded his gun and slumped against the side of the boat. He wasn't used to all the running. Everyone else got boosts along the way, but he was left with just his legs. Maybe it was time to teach himself how to do something cool...

He watched Gabriel dissolve and cross the boat. He reformed next to him with something in his hand. It was a wordless exchange; Kaylo was handed a device that looked like a watch, but with a few extra... features. It didn't read the time, which seemed odd, but instead it had a keyboard and various different displays.

Kaylo looked over it with interest, and eventually figured out that it was a communication device. That intrigued him, and he looked up at Gabriel for an explanation.

"It's more subtle than the last one you had." Gabriel plucked the old comm. from Kaylo's ear, something that would have gone forgotten if not for that moment, and tossed it over the edge of the boat. With a small smile, he thanked Gabriel and clasped the fake watch around his wrist.

If someone had told him when he first joined Talon that Reaper, _the_ Reaper, was capable in showing even a sliver of affection towards someone, he would have accused them of lying.

Yet, over the past few years, Kaylo learned to spot Gabriel's attempts at compassion through his actions. For someone that seemed so serious, it was obvious that Gabriel still cared for people. Even though he never voiced his appreciation, something Kaylo knew well, the small things he did such as giving tiny "gifts" (usually some sort of upgraded equipment) to his teammates made up for the silence. He knew there was still a person under that mask. A person that could still feel.

The gentle rocking of the boat pulled him back into reality.

Kaylo watched the sun set across the horizon and stopped to admire how quickly the world changed within minutes. It felt surreal. They had just left the heart of a city that was being brought down to ruins. It was his home.

Now, they were gliding through such gentle canals it felt like the world had always been that peaceful. It was such a strange thing to think about.

So he chose not to think about it at all.


	2. New Beginning

There was darkness.

Then voices.

Then feeling.

Where was she?

Among the voices, one stuck out. It was so familiar...

She twitched her fingers and felt fabric beneath her hand. A bed?

Her fingers seemed to be all that she could move right now, so she kept going in small, rapid taps. Why couldn't she see?

"Mama?" That was... Marco.

"Yes, _caro_?" Her mother.

"Arin's fingers are moving."

The room became silent except for the two pairs of footsteps moving towards her.

There was a new voice now. "Good observation, Marco. She's waking up." That voice was beautiful. It felt like something you would hear calling out to you in a dream.

Was she dreaming?

"Arin, can you hear me? Will you move your fingers again?"

She moved them.

"Excellent. Take your time, your body will be sore. Try focusing on only your eyes."

She did as she was told and found it easier than trying to move everything at once.

Slowly, Arin opened her eyes.

There was a bright light and the shadow of a face above her. She tried to turn her head away but there was a tight knot in her neck.

"Ah, my apologies. Here."

The light was gone now, and she could see the face very clearly now. Every feature was perfect; there was not a wrinkle of age or exhaustion. The epitome of beauty was standing right in front of her and Arin felt blessed to be in her presence. "An angel..."

"Actually, it's Angela Ziegler. But your comment is graciously appreciated." The woman, Angela - which was a very fitting name, Arin thought - stepped away from her. "Now, I'm going to ask you a few questions. To start, what year is it?"

"2074." She remembered perfectly; her first morning of the year was spent in bed hungover.

"Excellent... What major global crisis occurred 30 years ago?"

"The Omnic Crisis." Something like that couldn't be forgotten.

"Alright, last one, who do you live with?"

"My mother, Elena Cerrone, and my brother, Marco Cerrone." She missed them... were they not just here a second ago?

"Great! Your body will be tired and you will need some more rest, but we are glad to see you back. There are some people here that would like to say hello." Angela stepped away for good this time, and within moments there were two strong arms around her.

" _Cara! Non farlo mai più!_ "

"Mama?" Of course it was her mother. But she couldn't see her. "Look at me..." Arin watched her step back and nearly regretted it. Before her was the face of a woman who nearly lost everything she lived for. Wrinkles of worry and exhaustion were permanently creased into her face and nothing made Arin more upset than the fresh tears in her mother's eyes. Unlike Angela, her mother was a different kind of beautiful. She was strong, but Arin couldn't deny that hurt was written all over her face.

"I'm..." all of her thoughts and worries spilt from her lips. "I'm so sorry mama..." Hers screams from that night came back to her. "It hurt so much... I didn't mean to worry you..."

"Don't be sorry, _mi amor_... I'm just happy to have you back. Here, Marco wants to see you too." She stubbornly wiped her tears and moved to make space.

Within seconds there was a little boy crawling up on to the bed, much to her mother's protests to be careful. " _Sorella_!!"

"Oh, _caro_... Come here." Although her arms were tired, Arin was able to pull her brother into a hug. He made himself quite comfortable by her side, and she ran her fingers through his hair. It was much longer than when she last saw it.

" _Sorella_ , you were sleeping for a long time. Do you remember the cowboy? He has a _pistola!_ He showed me it!" Almost proud of himself, Marco sat up and looked at Arin with the brightest eyes she's ever seen. "And, he let me hold it."

Bewildered, she looked at her mom who didn't seem to share her surprise. "It wasn't loaded."

Arin looked back at Marco with a questionable smile. He pointed to the door. "I bet he'll let you hold it! I'll go get him!" With that, the little boy climbed down from Arin's bed and ran out the door. She smiled at his innocence, and longed for the time when she didn't know what being serious was.

Things were happening so fast that she didn't get much time to see where she was. Arin was surrounded by monitors and there were a few cords attached to her arm. A few chairs sat on the side of her bed and there was a door to the left of her. The room looked fairly lived in, as if someone had been staying there for a while. Her family, she assumed.

Her mother took Marco's place at the bed, sitting on the side with a hand on her own. "That happened a week ago... He hasn't stopped talking about it since."

"A week ago? How long was I out?"

A pained look crossed her mother's face. "Two weeks. Dr. Ziegler- Angela, sorry, had expected you to be out for longer... but I'm happy that you woke up sooner."

"Oh..." It felt odd that she didn't have a bigger reaction to that. She probably would have if Marco had not come back through the door. With him, was the cowboy that had saved her little brother. Arin felt as if she owed him a years of thanks. The man removed his hat from his head, placed it on to Marco's, and moved to sit in a chair next to the bed. He truly looked like a cowboy. He had neck length hair and most of his face was covered by a mustache and a scruffy beard. At his waist was a holstered pistol, and even in the dim lighting of the room she could see it sparkle in all of it's glory.

"It's a pleasure to properly meet you. My name is Jesse McCree. And please, call me Jesse. No need for formalities..." He shifted in his seat, looking remorseful. "I... apologize for not being able to do more that night. I should of been looking out. I understand if you have any hard feelins'. I don't blame you..."

Arin looked at him with surprise. Why was he apologizing? He had still tried to help her, and that's all that mattered to her. "It's nice to meet you, Jesse. But I really don't understand why you're apologizing. None of what happened that night was your fault. It was the..." It was the bullet in her leg, but she had yet to look and see what happened. She couldn't exactly reach it herself; if she tried she knew it would hurt. Arin didn't doubt that it would be a nasty scar.

When she looked up at Angela, the doctor looked nervous. From her spot at the end of the bed, she looked at Arin's mom. "Mrs. Cerrone, I think you should take Marco outside for a moment."

Jesse stood and stepped forward. "I'll do it. She deserves to be here." Her mom looked like she was on the verge of tears again, but allowed Marco to go with the cowboy. They left the room silently.

"Mama? What's wrong?" When no one answered her, she tried to move to sit up but she couldn't, but that wasn't a surprise.

Angela got up and moved towards her bed. "Arin, you were shot in the lower thigh. I understand this may not be new information. But when we brought you in to be cared for, we found that the bullet had been laced with some type of poison. I had never seen anything like it, and because of that, we had no antidote or anything to combat it. Thankfully, it didn't get anywhere near your vital organs, but..." Angela hesitated; it seemed hard for her to continue. Arin watched as she lifted the blanket with certain amount of delicacy that made her nervous. "We had to remove your leg."

Arin went silent, then numb. She didn't even want to look under the blanket because she knew that it would be quite literally nothing. No wonder she didn't feel it earlier. There was nothing _to_ feel.

When she did finally give into looking, a strangled gasp left her lips. All that was left was a nub. A nub covered in bandage and gauze. She felt bile rise in her throat, and in a moment there was a bin next to her.

Tears fell from her eyes and her mom moved to wipe them away. "Arin... please don't cry. You'll be able to walk again. There are people just like you. You're not alone. We're having a prosthetic made. I promise you'll be able to walk again..."

_People just like you_. The words sat in her head and the more she thought about them, the more frustrated she became. There seemed to be no other word to describe her feelings. She watched her mother's hand clutch her own, and she suddenly hated being pitied. It didn't matter if there were people like her. "Please don't touch me..." Her words were nothing more than a whisper, but Arin saw the shock in mother's eyes. She was heard, but she still didn't let go. So Arin took her hand away, holding it as if it had been burned.

" _Mi amor_..." She didn't bother to look at the hurt on her mother's face. Arin moved to go sit up, pushing her body as much as she could to just _get away_. It didn't matter if she was in pain, she wouldn't be confined to a damned bed. It didn't cross her mind that she wouldn't be able to go anywhere even if she did get up.

But in seconds, Angela was holding her down. "Arin." When she didn't look at her, Angela repeated herself. " _Arin._ Your body can't handle the pressure you're putting on it. You have to stop moving." But she wouldn't let herself stop.

Arin flexed her arm to get herself out of Angela's grip, struggling to not yell at her. She couldn't get away, but she felt a little spark from where Angela had her hand. Apparently, she had not been on the more painful end of that spark, because Dr. Ziegler pulled her hand away with a startled yelp. Arin looked up at her, and Angela stared right back with confusion.

"You... you just shocked me." Angela furrowed her eyebrows. "That didn't feel normal. It still _hurts_. A normal shock isn't supposed to sting like that..." She looked at her hand and back up to Arin. "Did you do that on purpose?"

"No, I... I was just upset and I-" She was starting to come down from her rush of anger. She inhaled sharply and looked at Angela. Something worried her about the way she held her hand. "Was I supposed to?"

"Yes. Well, okay, no..." Angela took a deep breath and steadied herself, "Can you try to do that again? That feeling was far from normal and I know it may sound weird, but if my assumptions are correct you may have some special... abilities. This would not be the first time that someone has gone through a traumatic accident, lived, and was left with powers, for the lack of a better word."

Her mother intervened. "Dr. Ziegler, Arin just woke up. She should rest, shouldn't she? What if that will make her more tired?" He mom seemed to be struggling to find the right words. "What if that shock or whatever you're talking about was a mistake?"

Angela's response was quick. "I have seen my fair share in abnormalities throughout my years. A near dead man being turned into a machine, a woman who can rewind and speed up her body's time, and another man who can control _dragons_. I have a feeling this is not a mistake." She looked up at her mother. "And normally, yes, her body would be far too tired after something like that, but seeing as Arin's pulse didn't spike at all," she gestured to the Holter monitor reading her pulse, "and she had no other reaction, I have a feeling that it doesn't affect her like that." Angela held out her arm and looked at her with an odd amount of determination. "So, if you will..."

Arin was stunned. She... she couldn't have powers. She didn't even want to think about the thought of having powers because her mind was still buzzing with the fact that she lost her leg. Yet, the way Angela looked at her with no judgement and a look that made her feel important. So she placed her hand on Angela's arm and tried to recreated whatever she did earlier. With a slight squeeze and a considerable amount of concentration, Arin felt that same feeling when she shocked Angela earlier.

"Oh! Okay, yes! That was it. Again, but from here." Angela touched Arin's shoulder. She did it again.

The woman in front of her was nearly vibrating with fascination, though Arin wasn't sure if it was because of of all the zapping that just happened or something else. She couldn't help but share a sliver of excitement with Angela, but she had a cloud of doubt floating in the back of her mind. What did this mean for her and her family? Would she be able to go back home when she recovered, or did Angela have new plans for her?

"This is... very interesting. We have a scientist here who would be more than happy to look into this if it's okay with you," Angela sat down next to her bed, looking over her body like it was an experiment. "Because I sure can't wrap my mind around it."

Arin couldn't wrap her mind around it either, but she would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't curious. "Yeah, I... I guess that's okay. But I'll be honest, I'm a little scared... What does this mean? What will happen?"

Angela's expression softened, and she briefly glanced at Arin's mom, and then back to her. "If all goes well, you may have a new job offer. But I think we should talk to an expert. He'll have more to say about this than I do." She sat up and smiled. "Athena, can you please call Winston and have him come down here? Tell him it's urgent. Oh, and tell Jesse and Marco they can come back in." It sounded as though she was talking to nothing.

But that was not the case, for a bright and cheerful voice responded from above her. "Right away, Dr. Ziegler."

Arin sat confused, and looked at her mom. Once again, her mother didn't share her feelings on this new situation. "Athena is an A.I. assistant. Winston... well, you'll see." Her mother almost grinned at this. "He is quite unique."

Before she could respond, Marco came bursting into the room, still wearing the cowboy hat. Jesse followed, looking nervous until Angela waved him over. "Jesse, come look at this! Go on, Arin."

Arin smiled nervously. Was she really going to have to shock the man that saved her life? She looked up a Jesse who seemed to be surprised at the lighter attitude in the room. With a fuck it kind of attitude, she beckoned for his hand. But what was placed before her was not what she was expecting. Her smile faded and was replaced with awe. It was a prosthetic. Arin could feel the energy run through it and she marveled at the sight. She would have kept herself in check if she had know Jesse was an amputee. Her fingers ran down the grooves and dents before she realized how weird she must have looked. "Ah, I'm-"

"Nope, don't sweat it." Jesse smiled knowingly. "You ain't the first one to have that kind of reaction."

Oddly reassured by his reaction, she continued with her demonstration. "Right, okay... Anyways, I don't think I should use your prosthetic. Gimme your other hand." Arin gently pushed his hand away and motioned for the other one. His friendly attitude and overall good mood was contagious and a genuine smile crossed on her face as she took Jesse's arm. She damn near laughed when she sent a bolt through his hand and got a sight of the stunned look on his face. He cursed and let out a hearty chuckle at the realization.

"Well, I'll be damned! You did that on purpose?" She nodded and let go. Jesse rubbed where she had shocked him and he looked at Angela. "Have ya talked to Winston yet? I'm sure he'll get a kick outta this."

"He's on his way down now. But Jesse, there's a child... don't curse." Angela looked almost apologetic as she nodded towards Marco.

"Oh! I nearly forgot 'bout the little bugger," Jesse turned to her mom, "I'm sorry, miss. I didn't mean any harm." He almost looked bashful.

Her mom smiled at the apology. " _Non_ _preoccuparti_ , Jesse. I don't think he was listening anyway." On the floor, Marco was looking at the hat with intense interest. He indeed was not listening.

The tender moment was cut a short as the door to the room slid open. On the other side was... "A monkey? Where _am_ I..."

"I'm not a monkey, I'm a scientist. And you are on Watchpoint Elláda in Greece." With a dissatisfied grunt, the... scientist stepped into the room. But the irritated look was gone within seconds, a new curious one took it's place. "You called, Angela?"

She had zoned out the second Winston said Greece. Arin knew that she was away from home, but she didn't realize that she was a whole country away. Why hadn't she asked earlier?

"Arin, this is Winston. He's a scientist from the Horizon Lunar Colony. Winston, this is Arin. She was taken into our care after the Rialto incident."

"It's a pleasure, Arin. Yes, you can call me Winston. How can I help?"

"Well..." Angela rose from her seat and stepped forward. "A little after Arin awoke, we discovered something very exciting." 'Discovered' was a light way to put it. "Come here. I have no doubt this will surprise you."

By now, Jesse had taken to playing with Marco on the floor. They were talking quietly and very seriously about... cowboy things, she imagined. Her mom was watching them, but Arin could tell she was still listening to what was going on at Arin's bedside. She wanted to reach out to her mother and go back home. Her irritation started coming back to her. Her attitude was changing like a wave but she didn't know how to control it.

Winston approached her, and Angela took his hand and held it out to Arin. "Go on." Arin was starting to get a little tired of this, but Angela's excitement nearly made her forget. She reached for Winston's hand and gripped it tight, copying what she did with Angela and Jesse.

Winston, much like everyone else, was surprised. But given his large demeanor, it didn't seem to affect him as much as it did the others. "Oh, my! You did that intentionally?" She had caught his interest now. "Will you do it again, please? But try to make it stronger!"

Jesse, so far, had been the only one to leave it the first time, and she wished for such a reaction in all the others. But she did as she was told and put in as much effort as she could. This time, she could feel a trace of tingling left in her fingers as she pushed a wave of electricity through her hand and into Winston. This left the gorilla in pain; it was visible on his face. But admiration soon covered it. "How many times have you done this?"

Arin sighed. "After that, it would be six."

"Do you feel tired?"

"Tired of people asking, yes." That earned a little snort from Jesse, who had been watching for a bit now. Arin didn't try to hide her negative attitude. She realized now that it hadn't truly left. "But if you are really concerned, no, I do not feel tired yet. It only feels.. tingly."

Winston turned to Angela, and they shared a look. Arin shifted in her bed as she watched them wordlessly agree on something, the silence momentarily filling the room. The gorilla gave a short nod and he turned to her mother.

"Mrs. Cerrone, could we please speak to you outside?" Arin wasn't caught off guard by the question, but she was sure a little upset that she wouldn't be involved in matters that were literally about her.

Angela moved to her and covered her back up with her blankets. "Meanwhile, you need to sleep. You body surely is aching to rest, regardless of how you may feel." Arin huffed and begrudgingly laid back. "And you seem to be irritable. I would not be surprised if you are hungry. I will have someone bring down something for you in a bit."

Arin did not want to admit that Angela was right, but it was the truth; she was hungry. but now she also felt a load of guilt. She wasn't mad at anyone specifically, but she was just tired of being bothered. Waking up from two weeks worth of sleep did something to a person. As her mother and Winston left the room, she felt tiredness creep up on her. Instead of giving in, she focused on the sound of Marco and Jesse talking. Jesse was effortlessly answering Marco's bombardment of questions, most of which revolved around guns and horses.

Her effort to postpone sleep did not last for long, and Arin soon gave in to the sweet temptation of rest.

.

.

.

_She was back in Rialto again, but there was a noticeable difference in the environment. There was a lot more fire than before. It cornered her to a few feet of concrete on the front steps of her house._

_The sounds of her brother's screams were loud and booming in her ears; besides the crackling of fire it was the only thing she could hear. It terrified her. She wanted nothing more than for it to stop, but despite her struggles to quiet Marco, who had appeared in her arms, he kept going._

_The great flames in front of her were growing larger, caving the two of them in. She could feel the heat burning her skin and it_ hurt _._

_And as quick as it had started, the fire was gone. There was a shift in temperature that made her worry more. It was no longer hot, but there was a new freezing pain in her legs._

Legs. _She had both of them._ _This was a dream, she knew that now. But there seemed to be no way out._

_Her legs suddenly ached and she toppled to the ground. On impact, Marco shattered into shards of glass and disappeared into the wind. A sobbed escaped her lips and she tried to pick up the pieces of a puzzle that was no longer there. She screamed for Marco to come back, but he wouldn't. Arin was alone._

_The world turned black, and she was in a new place now. There was only silence. It did not ease her that nothing was happening. The lack of noise did quite the opposite._

_Despite not being able to see the wounds inflicted on her, the phantom pains of the bullet in her thigh came back. Invisible bolts of electricity engulfed her body, wrapping her up in a blanket that felt like needles. She cried again, missing the warm feeling of home and comfort._

_A voice was calling to her now. Sounding from the heavens above was a calling filled with concern. She forced herself to get up and run towards it. Her efforts were put to rest when the voice was clear in her head._

.

.

.

That was enough to pull her back to the present. Her nightmare, welcomingly cut short, dissolved as she opened her eyes. Her body trembled.

"Arin?" Jesse had his hand on her shoulder. She must not have been out for long; her mother was not back in the room yet. "Are you okay? Your monitor was goin' crazy." He frowned. "You're shakin'..."

She didn't feel inclined to respond, in fact, she was a little embarrassed. So, she offered a small nod and looked down. Marco was asleep with Jesse's hat covering his eyes. He looked like he was enjoying his time of rest much more than she had.

Jesse removed his hand and pulled up a chair go sit closer to her. "You know... when I lost my hand here," he gestured to it, his voice hushed and slow, "I had nightmares too. It sucked, Arin. It still sucks. I dunno if what you're going through is the same, but if you'll allow me, I might have something to offer..."

Arin was touched by his attempt to make her feel better. Needing a distraction, she openly welcomed it. "Go ahead."

He nodded. "I've found that distractions really help." _What a fucking coincidence_. "Surrounding yourself with people that you trust, training... drinkin'... just talking to people keeps you from thinking about all the stuff life throws at ya." A smile crossed his face. "I can't tell you how many times I've felt alone and vulnerable. But when you find the right people to help? All of those nasty feelings fade away."

He looked away. He face was filled with concentration. "Oh, here, I have an idea." He stood and looked around the room for something. With a little "Aha!" he snatched up a piece of paper with a pen from a drawer and came back to sit with her. "If you ever need someone to help ya, you know exactly who to call. I don't know how useful it'll be if you decide to stay, but it's a thought." He wrote down a few numbers and set it on Arin's bedside.

Arin felt reassured talking to Jesse, and she knew he would be a good person to go to in the future if such a thing happened again. But something Jesse said caught her attention. "If I decide to stay?"

Jesse scrunched his face in thought, and then let out a tiny 'oh'. "I think it's best that Winston and Angie tell you themselves. Or your mom, even. Speaking of... Athena, will you call them down?"

Her response echoed in the room, "Of course, Jesse."

"Thank you, sweetheart." He turned back to her and gave her a playfully pointed look. "Don't be mad at me now," Arin had been glaring at him, "this is something you'd rather hear from them anyway."

She groaned and tried to turn away from him, but her body protested the quick movement. "I'm not even allowed to be mad at you, apparently."

Jesse gave her a shit eating grin. "Be mad? At me?" He clutched his heart dramatically. "Ouch... even the thought!" Faking a death, Jesse slumped back into the chair. She wanted to hate how he brought a smile to her face, but she couldn't. Her nightmare and memories of earlier today had left her quickly.

The moment ended when Angela and Winston peaked into the room. After seeing Arin was awake, Angela stepped in, followed by Winston and a few seconds later, her mother. Jesse moved from his seat closest to the bed to the one on the other side of the room. Marco didn't stir as her mother picked him up and took the place where he once slept.

"If I'm not mistaken, you have something to tell me?" Arin looked between the doctor and the gorilla. Such an odd duo. Winston stepped forward and nodded.

"We... We have an offer." Winston seemed a little shy to continue. "As you know, the world pushed us out years ago. They don't like us. Yet, there is still violence roaming the streets. There are still innocent lives being taken by something we could have prevented. I issued a recall to change that. And I am now giving that same offer to you."

Arin felt that she knew what was happening, but considering she was speaking to a _gorilla_ , she didn't know if she really understood anything anymore. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean is..." He paused and gave her a determined smile. "We want you to join Overwatch. You would be a wonderful addition to the team, and the world could always use more heros."

Arin stilled at his words, and Winston seemed to intentionally give her time to let the words sink on. "Even if you decline, we're willing to let you go back home to Rialto. Of course, not your same home, but a new home on a... nicer side of the city. You will still have to go through physical therapy regardless of what you choose, and you will receive your prosthetic no matter what at no cost."

A house on the side of the city they could never afford? A prosthetic for free? Arin fiddled with the hem of her blanket, trying to put together how normal her life would be again, or if it ever would be normal at all. She brought her focus back to Winston as he continued. "However, if you accept, we ask that you stay here on the Watchpoint and undergo training. Your mother and Marco be able to stay in touch with you. But... you'll have to accept that your life may be in danger by joining. I will be able to give you more details later."

Arin massaged her temples, falling deep into thought. She admired Overwatch and what they had done for the world, and denying that they wouldn't be needed anymore was a lie. There were people and omnics being killed on the streets for _fun_ and illegal weapons being sold to the wrong kind of people. It needed to stop, and being apart of the organization that could put and end to it? It was a dream.

But the thought of her mother and Marco being alone worried her. Being a whole country away, would she still be able to visit? Would she see Marco grow up?

Her face must have shown her concern, because her mother got up from the chair with Marco and moved closer to her. " _Mi amor_ , you know we can handle ourselves. It would not be the first time I've had to raise a child alone." Her words were quiet but held so much meaning. It was true that this wouldn't be her mother's first time raising a child alone; Arin grew up half of her life without a proper father figure. And she realized regardless of what she did, so would Marco. But she didn't want to give up on him just yet.

"Could we have a moment alone please?" Arin looked at the group in front of her. They all unanimously headed for the door and left her family in silence. She was well aware that they wanted her to join, and her mind went to all of the things she could learn from them. It would truly be an out of world experience. They might not have _needed_ her, but she knew she would be an asset. She had her mind made up.

When they finally were gone, Arin looked to her mom with a slight smile. "I just wanted to make them scared. I know what I'm going to do." Her mom looked at her with shock but it slowly faded into a look of approval. She continued, "I'm going to accept. You are strong and so is Marco, but if I can learn how to protect and provide for you without help from Overwatch... it would be a dream come true." She paused. "I might be able to convince them to still let me see you. I just... I want nothing more than to see Marco grow up safely. But if that involves leaving you for a few months and putting my life in danger... I'll still do it."

Her mother took her hand and held onto it tight. "Arin... I'm so proud that you're willing to give this a shot. I promise, _tesoro_ , Marco and I will call you whenever we can. We will be just fine, and I think Marco will be proud." She looked down at him and kissed his forehead. "S _ua sorella maggiore è un eroe_."

Arin beamed. Ending on a high note, she looked up at the ceiling. "Athena?" She asked hesitantly.

"Yes, Arin?" It felt odd that the A.I. already knew her name.

"Can you call everyone back in?"

"Of course."

Arin mumbled a quick thanks under her breath and listened to the hiss of the door opening. Winston entered first, followed by Angela and Jesse.

She took in a deep breath and felt the atmosphere in the room change. "I have made up my mind and I'm sure that I've chosen what I think is best for me and my family. I want to keep them safe and I want to be able to give them a life where they don't have to worry how much their next bill will be." She looked at her mother, her eyes filled with appreciation and love, and then she looked at Winston.

"I want to join Overwatch."


	3. A Snake's Worries

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a few adjustments to this chapter. Sorry for any inconvenience.

It had been two weeks since the Rialto attacks, and life underground was not easy.

Kaylo was only recently granted the luxury of going outside, because Talon had been ordered to lay low until they find a new place to go. Rumor had it that it was going to be Ilios, a coastal city in Greece. It would be a very different change of pace, but one that Kaylo would welcome with open arms. After all, it was his home. He hadn't lived there for long, but it was the only city he bothered to learn like the back of his hand. He could be blindfolded and still be able to find his way across the city through sound and his sense of direction alone. Even the thought of going their made him giddy.

But the uncomfortable clicking of fingernails dragged him from his daydreaming; he hated that sound. Kaylo looked up at the woman in front of him. "Do you have to do that?"

Moira stood, looking down at him with an expressionless look. "I'll stop when you pay attention. You're in my lab, Salas, you know I can kick you out if I so choose."

She was right, as always, so he sat up at his desk. "There's nothing to work with here, of course I'm not going to pay attention. I got all of my plans done last week, but we can't do anything with them because we don't have the materials."

Arguing was his strong suit, and usually he only did it to mess with people, but this time _he_ was right _too_.

There was no response from the scientist in front of her. Kaylo watched as she walked across the room over to a cabinet that was nearly empty. "Why..." She moved all of the bottles and pulled out the back wall of the top shelf. "You... you were hiding more chemicals? Wait. You were hiding more chemicals! You let me sit for a week doing nothing? Why are they even back there in the first place?"

"This is all you get until the next shipment. I saved it until you used up what we had left, but your plans didn't seem to involve them. And," she looked back at him after examining a bottle of arsenic, "everything in that back cabinet was supposedly our last resort if this base gets found too. Use it wisely."

"Tricky little..." Kaylo's words faded from his lips as dug for plans in his desk. He had planned to make a bomb that stuck to walls and sprayed toxins into the air. He had a little bit of Amélie's help on the sticky part, but the poison was his own. It was something he had been perfecting during his time in Talon. It was more affective as a gas, but the bullets in his pistol were laced with a liquid version of it. He had never been more proud of himself when he first succeeded.

Kaylo took what he needed to make a bigger batch and sat back down in his area. He was able to start the basics of his plans, but didn't get much further; his moment of happiness was cut short. The little watch Gabriel gave him lit up with an incoming message. He groaned and threw his head back like a child. "I just want to work..."

Gabriel wanted to see him down in his office, and it was the first message he had from him in the weeks being down in the bunker. The commander kept himself cooped up in that room that entire time, working away on something Kaylo probably wouldn't understand. Typically, when Gabriel wanted something, he sent someone else to go get it. He wasn't fond of technology. So when Kaylo looked down at the message again, he had a feeling it was important.

With the attitude of a toddler, he left the lab and made the long walk down to his office. The idea of going down damp hallways vaguely brought back memories of middle school and getting called down to the principals office. He didn't actually finish school; it closed during his last year. After that, Gabriel had taken him in and Talon took care of his education up until a year ago when he was 22.

As Kaylo reached the office doors, he found that they were already inched open. With a light knock, he pushed them open the rest of the way. The second he laid his eyes on the state of the room, he was nearly taken aback.

The shell of a man sat on the floor surrounded by papers and various folders. Gabriel was almost all there, but his mist, for the lack of a better word, hovered around him like a shield. On the screen in the middle of a room was a collage of pictures with a few added notes and tabs. There were images he knew very well, and hated to see Gabriel looking at. It only meant trouble, because the pictures were of Watchpoint Elláda. He, at one point, had to commit the base to memory. He had assumed Gabe did too, so it was worrying to see him looking at them again. Kaylo eventually stepped inside. "You called?"

"Shut the door."

With a glare and a little grumble, he did as he was told. "Nice to see you too then." He stepped over the papers and made himself comfortable at Gabe's desk. After spending years together, they had grown a close bond. He thought of Gabriel as a father figure, and Gabe... didn't dislike him and that was a win in Kaylo's book. "What do you need?"

"Look at that number," Gabriel pointed to a tab in the bottom right corner of the screen, "and tell me what that is."

Kaylo shifted in his seat and tilted his head. "Sixteen. Does it have something to do with Elláda?"

Gabriel finally stood from the floor and whisked over to another area of the room, looking for something. "Yes. Do you remember what that number was when you last saw it?"

Kaylo found it stupid that he didn't know what the number actually _meant_ , but he knew that was different three weeks ago. "Thirteen."

"Good. That number is active Overwatch members on Elláda."

"Shit." Kaylo let out a frustrated sigh and various different thoughts popped into his head. He didn't think those numbers would grow after Rialto. He had hoped for the opposite. "Who are they?"

Gabriel dissolved once more and reappeared next to him with a blue folder. "Look at that and remember that face."

"Face?" Kaylo took the folder and opened it. There were two pictures, both of which were as clear as mud. He could make out the body of a girl in one. A girl that he knew very well. "She's alive."

"Seems like it."

To be more specific, an unconscious girl was being taken on a boat in one of the pictures. In the other, she was in the arms of a woman dressed in blue. It was the exact same girl Kaylo had tried to assassinate two weeks ago.

"What is all of this for?"

"I'm giving you a new mission." Gabriel motioned to the folder. "Both of those were taken by Amélie when Overwatch left. That girl is there. I am offering you a chance at redemption."

He sat back in the chair and looked at the pictures one more time as Gabriel continued. "Find the her and kill her," He glanced down at Kaylo, "or get close to her and use her for information."

He went still and considered his options. Kaylo didn't understand why they were so hung up on killing _one_ person. Picking them off one by one was a good idea, but what did Talon need more? To finally resolve a pity little grudge or eliminate the threat that nearly wiped their entire operations out in a night?

"You do not need to tell me what you decide. I trust that you will get your job done. I'll try to find you a place in Ilios so you can leave early." Gabriel dissolved and returned to his spot in the middle of the room, surrounded by his paperwork. "You're excused."

Without a second thought, Kaylo rose from the chair and moved out of the room, careful not to disturb the clutter that was Gabriel's work. A lot was going through is mind right now, but he had come to the conclusion that all he needed was a chance to think and get away. He didn't feel like working and he knew Moira would be angry at him for leaving stuff out, but he needed a change of scenery.

So, with his new mission on the front of his thoughts, he made his way to the nearly forgotten outdoors.

.

.

.

Kaylo didn't know fresh air was so intoxicating. Then again, he hadn't been outside in two weeks. And on the rooftops much less. He had such an odd fascination with being up high. He liked the idea of not being bothered.

Unknowingly, he had found himself back by Talon's old base. He didn't realize he had gone there, but it was too late to go anywhere else to think. His feet treaded along the horribly scorched rooftops, and finally came to a stop on one of the very few buildings still standing. As he looked across the once thriving Talon base, a slight pain struck him in the heart. It hurt him to see a place he loved so much destroyed.

It was a brief walk, but Kaylo had made it back to where he had tried to shoot that girl. He remembered what Gabriel told him and thought about how he was going to go through with this mission. He sat himself down on the edge and let his legs dangle.

Gabriel's offer felt like a trick. If he wanted her dead he would do it himself eventually. Why did he give Kaylo the option? Did Gabe really not care about the outcome?

He didn't get a change to ponder for long. There was a quiet thud behind him, followed by the clicking of heels. That sound was familiar to him, and within seconds he knew exactly who it was.

"Spider woman."

"Snake."

Kaylo looked over his shoulder. Any sane person would have feared the sound of that voice and the woman standing behind him. But he had come to learn that this assassin never made a kill without a purpose. Although there were times when he felt intimidated by her presence, Kaylo never let himself dwell on the fact that she could murder him by stepping on him.

"What do you want, Amélie?" He turned away and heard her come up behind him.

"Gabriel told me of your mission." She perched on the edge with him. "I came to see what you have decided to do."

"Have you been following me?"

"You tell me. You are supposed to be looking out for that. How many times have I told you this?" She looked down on him. He glared, knowing very well that she had been following him and he didn't notice. "Your faults might get you killed, Salas."

"Awe, you care." He faked the sweetness in his voice, focusing back on the spot where he shot at the girl.

" _Je vais te faire du mal, serpent._ "

" _Mangez une_ _chaussure_." He muttered, trying to focus on remembering her face. A moment of silence passed between the two, but Kaylo did not mind. Talon members didn't like to talk, and he had accepted that. The only person that could hold even a sliver of conversation with him was Sanjay Korpal, but he wasn't around a lot.

Kaylo had noticed that on the street below, everything from two weeks ago remained untouched. The only noticeable difference were the houses and apartments along the street that had disappeared, and he assumed it was the fires to blame. His mind wandered, and he started to ask himself how he was going to go about this mission. He had known what he wanted to do the moment he stepped outside. It irked him that he didn't need any more time to think about it. But it soon crossed his mind that he didn't want to tell Amélie his decision; he feared she would be disappointed. But how soon would she figure it out if he didn't?

"Amélie, I-"

"You don't want to kill her."

His faced scrunched in confusion, and he looked over at her. How did she know that? He barely even said anything.

"You are not the type of person to kill people, little snake. You only incapacitate." She faced him with a look that he couldn't truly decipher. "Gabriel knew this. He had known that you wouldn't have killed her, and he could not risk that. Talon needs the information as well. I assume that he gave you the choice to see if you could step up to the challenge."

"Well, _j_ _e serai damné._ "

"Watch your language."

_"Tais-toi."_ He grumbled and stood up from the ledge. He looked down at her, and she simply turned away. Their relationship was an odd one. She had always helped him, though. Kaylo could not deny that. There were multiple instances where she had killed someone for him.

"Kaylo." Amélie seldom used his first name, and such an act earned his attention. "Are you worried?"

He tilted his head ever so slightly. "About?"

"Your mission."

When he really thought about it, yes, he absolutely was. He didn't know what to expect; he was supposed to win over a girl and use her to learn about his enemy. And if she found out? He could be killed on the spot without any hesitation. Not only that, but he was doing this on his own. He didn't even know where to start, and he wouldn't have anyone to help him.

Gabriel's words came back to him. _I trust you will get your job done_. They rang and bounced around in his head like a ball. Kaylo knew he would get his job done. He would tell himself he would until he finished what he started, or until he simply couldn't anymore.

So yes, he was worried. But admitting weakness was giving in to defeat. That had been burned into his mind at a young age. And he would go by that until someone proved him wrong.

"Overwatch is going to come down by my two hands." Kaylo forced himself to smile. "I'm not worried."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter, I'll be posting chapter 4 soon enough. Thanks!


	4. Gunfire and Family

Depending on the person, a week and a half can pass by in seconds or feel like forever.

To Arin, the latter part was true. Bedridden for ten days with plans to be in a wheelchair for another two, she felt like a liability to Overwatch and all that it stood for. Even with the praise of a quick recovery that should have taken months, she had never felt more useless.

Arin's prothetic had been finished within days after she woke, and despite her feelings over it, she had to admit that it looked good. It was a silvery-grey "hunk of metal", as Jesse called it, made with the same technology his prosthetic hand has. It matched the thickness and length of her real leg, and it could pass as one even in tight pants, but she couldn't feel anything. There were no pain receptors or a sense of touch, so the idea of relying on something that couldn't be felt made her a little sick.

But she learned over the course of the first week that there were people who really cared for her. Jesse had taken to calling her "Little Storm", and Angela cared enough to make, or help make, Arin's favorite foods. She nearly cried the first time they made Biscotti for breakfast, and later, Pasta Fagioli Soup. They were good at making her feel welcome... but since her mother and Marco went back to Italy, it's been a little more lonely.

She had met everyone on the watchpoint by now. Genji and Hanzo Shimada came in to meet her with Jesse one day, and although Genji's appearance first scared her, she warmed up to his personality and his overall placid attitude. Hanzo was quiet, for the lack of a better word, but seemed to open up after Jesse introduced him.

Two days after waking up, Baptiste and Lucio came to see her when Angela was checking in, and later that same day Reinhardt, Brigette, and Winston stopped by to say hello. She had Brigitte and Winston to thank for her leg, so those few minutes were plentiful with praise and compliments.

Ana and Jack stopped by with cookies. During that meeting, she had been informed that Jack had organized the attack on Rialto, and he admitted that it got out of hand. She couldn't help but be a little upset, but in the end was able to hold herself from being mad. That was something she had been working on since her fit.

On the fifth day, Genji came back with Zenyatta, an omnic monk who didn't touch the ground the _entire time_. It was such an odd experience. Just being in his presence was enlightening. Their meeting was short, but sweet. There was nothing she didn't like about Zenyatta.

Last, but most certainly not least, she met Lena. Lena Oxton, or Tracer, had roughly the energy of a riled up dog. She was so cheerful and Arin adored her. Lena stuck around a lot longer than everyone else she met, and she was grateful to be able to have such a meaningful talk with someone. Lena had distracted her for a full hour. Effortlessly, too. By the end of their conversation, Arin was so happy that she was exhausted. Her mouth hurt from smiling so much.

Now, sitting on the edge of her bed with arguably the biggest obstacle in front of her, Arin begged for a simpler time where she could just laugh. Angela was giving her the option to try standing with her prothetic fully connected. They had tried it on while she was laying in bed before, and it worked perfectly, but Brigette insisted on giving a few tweaks since then.

When Arin looked at it, she couldn't hide the worry on her face. Jesse, Lena, Angela, Brigette, and Winston were all there. The room was silent except for the occasional whisper or warning from Angela to be careful as Brigette worked on attaching the leg. The first time they connected it, Arin had spasmed and was overloaded with a new, oddly empty feeling. She couldn't feel what she was controlling and her body didn't like it one bit. But it was something they just couldn't get around. Jesse experienced it too, so he had committed to sticking with Arin while she dealt with it for the first few times.

That promise was now more true than ever. But even when Brigette gave her the countdown and a warning, the sensation blindsided her and caught her like a storm. Her body twitched in a wave, starting at her prosthetic and shooting straight up. Jesse and Lena held her to keep her from falling. The feeling of their warm hands brought her back quicker than it had before. Within a few seconds, it was over. She felt... different, to say the least. Just like last time, she wiggled her toes and bent her knees, making sure everything was moving and cooperating.

Brigette stepped back, admiring her work and smiling proudly. "You did a wonderful job, Arin. You handle it better than Jesse!"

Her cheeks went pink and she looked away, staring at her leg. "Thank you, but now what?" She asked, daring to look back up after her face wasn't so hot.

Angela smiled and took Brigette's spot in front of her. "Jesse and Lena are going to hold your elbows, and you're going to stand and come to me."

Arin nodded. "Sounds easy enough..."

"Your other leg will be weak, there's no doubt about that, so I want you to take this slow. If it hurts, make the call and sit back down, okay?" Angela held on to Arin's hands, giving them a light squeeze. "Whenever you're ready."

She was being given the freedom to make her own call and that made her more than happy. She could take it at her own pace. So, with a slight grin, she swept away all the doubt and worries filling her head and shifted closer on the edge. She felt Lena's grip tighten for a moment, and when Arin looked at her, Lena could only offer a nervous smile.

Arin exhaled sharply and slowly inched off the bed. Her supports did their job better than she could have ever hoped for, and in a few seconds she was standing straight up. It happened so quick, she didn't know what to feel for a while. In all honesty, she didn't think she'd get that far.

The room went utterly silent as Arin prepared herself for her first step. It crossed her mind that her mother would have been so proud of her, and there was no doubt Marco would have been cheering the entire time. But being surrounded by people she could soon call family made up for the longing of home.

Her first step was with her real leg. The only other thing supporting her, besides Jesse and Lena, was a prosthetic. A new feeling filled her heart; she didn't know if she should be disturbed or incredibly amazed. Her foot touched the ground and it was time to move her prosthetic.

It was a subtle and delicate movement, only disturbed by the gentle and _very soft_ sound of whirring and electricity, but Arin lifted her prosthetic foot off the ground. The fluid motion completed itself and there she stood, two steps away from the bed. A light gasp escaped her lips and she stubbornly blinked away the new tears in her eyes.

She looked up at Angela, and the doctor looked like she shared the same feeling. She nodded vigorously and silently encouraged Arin to take another step, but she ended up taking four more. The silence was quickly filled with ecstatic cheers.

Lena came to her first, hugging her tight and nearly spinning her around, against many of Angela's protests. Jesse hugged her next, and she was squished between the two. Angela, Brigette, and eventually Winston gave in too, surrounding her with pure joy and love.

When the moment ended, Arin looked to Angela with a single thought on her mind. "Angela-"

The doctor cut her off, "No, no, I know what you're thinking. You shouldn't. It'll be too tiring for you to walk for that long on your own."

"I'll go with her!" Lena piped up. "Come on, Angie, she hasn't been out of this room in ages!"

Angela looked to be in thought for a moment. Arin was sure she was about to say no, but Angela let the tension drop from her shoulders and a smile creeped onto the doctor's face. "Bring a wheelchair. There is a lot that Elláda has to offer and you won't have the energy for all of it. But yes, go. Go have some fun."

Two hours later, Angela had never been more right. The trip was indeed exhausting, and Arin only lasted about half way through, but she saw everything she wanted. Lena had even showed her where her room would be when she grew more independent.

There first encounter was with Hanzo and Genji, who were sparring in the a abnormally large training area. Baptiste, Reinhardt, and Jack were deep into a card game when Lena brought her by the rec. room. It was such a welcoming place to lounge, and it was filled with a few arcade games and one pinball machine, which had definitely seen it's better days.

Lucio and Zenyatta were talking outside in the garden, where Lena mentioned that Genji and Zenyatta were the ones that took care of it and meditated there. It was _extremely_ well kept, and Arin could see he appeal. There was a considerable amount of shade, but the plants underneath it seemed to thrive regardless. It was beautiful. And in the last place, the kitchen, Ana was making coffee for herself. Next to the kitchen was a dinning room that had two tables pushed together, and she assumed that one wasn't big enough for everyone. It made her wonder how often they all ate together.

When Arin got back to her hospital room, she laid down and fell into a whirlpool of thoughts. During the next week, she would start relying more and more on her prosthetic. Angela will want her to do some sort of physical therapy, but considering how _stupidly fast_ her body was recovering, she didn't know if she would need it. Lena mentioned something about Arin being able to test weapons soon when they went by Hanzo and Genji. If Lena was right, she would have something to look forward to this week besides walking around Elláda.

A whole night of dreamless sleep went by and Arin found herself up the next morning a little before nine. Considering that she naturally preferred sleeping in, she found it strange that she was awake so early. With a push and a yawn, she sat up in the bed and peeked under the covers to find that he leg was still well attached. Her irrational fears of it coming off in the middle of the night were put to rest.

In the corner of her eye, she could spotted a hot cup of coffee and a note sitting on her side table. Someone had come to visit her recently, and Arin assumed that's what woke her up. The coffee was gone within seconds of the first sip. She took the note and read over the copperplate handwriting.

_"Care to join us for breakfast?"_

The only person she thought that could have handwriting that elegant was Angela, but with such an interesting group of people, Arin wasn't sure. But duty called, so with a grin she got up and fell back into the comfort of having a routine again. She never did much to make herself look better in the mornings, so she was quick to get ready.

The walk to the kitchen was a long one, as it was the furthest area from her hospital room. Arin hoped Lena was right when she said she would get a new room soon; all the walking would defeat the purpose of being treated where she was. When she got there, it was busy and bustling with energy. There were at _least_ four different dishes being prepared, but everyone seemed to be working in harmony. From what she could see - and smell - the Shimada brothers were making rice, a soup, eggs, and vegetables. Jesse was working with them. Lena and Winston were having hot cereal together, but Winston was having his with peanut butter. The last big dish that seemed to be circling around was a traditional American breakfast; pancakes, sausages, and eggs. Baptiste and Lucio were handing out bread and coffee to those who weren't having any of the other food.

"Arin!" Lena had spotted her and was next to her in a blink of an eye. "Good morning, love! Come here! There's a little bit of everything. Pancakes?" Lena and her 'gotta go fast' attitude had a plate of hot cakes in front of her within seconds.

It nearly overwhelmed Arin, but she smiled regardless. "Sure, thank you," She thanked her and took the steaming plate and made her way to the table while Lena made a beeline back to the kitchen. People sitting down seemed to be starting and finishing their foods at different times, so Arin didn't feel out of place when she began to eat.

She felt young again as she listened to the playful quarrels coming from the other room. She remembered the times were she could goof around in the kitchen with her family. Her father had always been loud, and her oldest brother never failed to match the volume with his poorly timed puns. Marco wouldn't have been born yet; he was merely a thought in his mother's head. When her father and brother died, she didn't step foot in the kitchen until they moved out of the house. Eventually she had to start cooking to take care of her tired mother and a newborn baby.

When Jesse sat down across the table, her thoughts vanished as quickly as they came. "Good morning, little storm," He drew out the "o" and smiled, "Are you ready for training today?" Jesse asked casually, taking chopsticks to his eggs and rice.

"Training?" Arin questioned, "Lena said I would start soon, not today?" Angela couldn't have possibly thought she was healthy enough to go.

"So Angie _didn't_ tell you..." Jesse took another bite, while Arin's pancakes sat untouched. "Well, now you know. Winston wants to start working on a gun for you, and since you're walkin' a little better now, he brought it up to Angie and she agreed."

She was baffled. Really? Angela Ziegler, saying yes to something like that? Arin just started walking yesterday!

Jesse must have picked up on her surprise, because he continued, "Oh, don't worry. You're just testin' out guns, no hard stuff jus' yet. You could probably even sit while doing it." He shrugged. The conversation ended there, and the cowboy became fully invested in devouring his breakfast. Arin sat back in her chair a little bit, processing what she had just heard.

Today was going be long.

.

.

.

"Oh! I like this!" Arin shouted over the sound of gunfire. After breakfast, Winston, Ana, Jesse, Jack, and Lena had all joined her down at the training room. They gave her a chance to try a variety of different weapons to find what was most comfortable for her. She even got to try Jesse's pistol. Albeit she hated it, it was still an interesting experience.

Currently, she was using Ana's rifle. Arin liked the idea of being out of harms way, up and away in secret where people wouldn't see her. She also felt confident in her aim, and the stance felt natural. Nothing had ever made her feel more protected. "You know, I think this might be my calling," Arin shouted, taking out two bots that stood on the level above her.

She finally lowered the rifle and looked through the window. The training hall had a closed off room where people could watch without the fear of getting hurt. The glass wasn't two way, and she could see everyone on the other side. Through the speaker, Winston's voice came over loud and clear.

"Do you want to go with that then? There's still more options if you're not sure..." He looked at Arin with a curious look, but was ultimately judgment free.

"I'm pretty sure. Plus, I don't think I should be that close to the fighting when my leg is the way it is." She had been thinking about that over breakfast. Her leg would keep her from being able to run fast, but if she was already far enough away from danger...

"Then we'll start working things out on Monday."

Perfect. She smiled to herself and made her way back to the room. She handed off the rifle to Ana and quietly thanked her for letting her use it. When she looked around, she was surprised to see that Jack was no longer there.

"Arin, you did great today! Even Jack said you'll be a 'good addition', which is a huge compliment coming from him," Lena joked, hoping up to sit on a table.

"Then why'd he leave?" If he said she was doing good, would he not want to stay and watch? She didn't exactly like Jack that much, but he could at least compliment her in person.

"Not sure. He's a very odd man," Lena rocked back on her heels in thought, before suddenly brightening up, "That reminds me! I'm going into the city tomorrow and I want you to come along! You've been cooped up in this base for weeks, it's about time you see more of the world."

Arin tilted her head slightly, looking at Lena with a face full of wonder. "City? We're on the middle of a rock, what city could possibly be near us?"

"Ilios, of course. It's only a quick boat ride. A great way to travel, might I add," Lena smiled, "So? What's it gonna be, love?"

Well, Arin couldn't say _no_. After all, she's always wanted to see more of Europe. But would Angela let her? She could walk fine for a while, and it didn't hurt that often, so surely she could make one trip, right?

"You know what? Sure. I'll come with tomorrow."


	5. All Stones Can Crack

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tis a short one, loves.

"Akande and I will be out there in about a week. Good luck." Gabriel's voice rang in his ears as the phone clicked and hung up.

Kaylo slid it into his pocket and looked around his room. It was a small, one bedroom apartment with an uncomfortably small bathroom, but thankfully that's all he needed. He had food and a place to work, so he was content.

It was mid-morning and he had been in Ilios for five days. After his talk with Gabriel, he was sent out a week later. In total, it had been 12 days since the start of his mission. He had been watching the docks day and night, waiting for someone form Overwatch to come to mainland. So far, no one had, but he felt that today was going to be different. He didn't know why, but he followed his gut. He strapped on his watch, stuffed his wallet in his pocket along with a tiny notebook and keys and headed out the door.

Kaylo's routine was simple; there was a balcony near the docks where he could sit without being bothered. He worked on paperwork and weapon plans and was constantly tweaking his gun and grenades, so he wasn't bored. It was work he had to do regardless. He would wait until he saw any sign of what he was looking for, and if he didn't by the end of the day, he grabbed dinner and went back to his apartment. He's done that for five days now. On the third day he told himself he was obsessed.

At around noon, he saw exactly what he was looking for. An Overwatch boat. It wasn't branded with their logo, but after memorizing a years worth of information, he knew the difference between a random family's yacht and a boat designed in secret. Overwatch was not the kind of organization to take a ride for _fun_.

So he watched, adjusting the sunglasses on his head so he wasn't blinded. The first girl to step off was Lena Oxton, or Tracer. An ordinary pilot that had a terrible accident, which eventually gave her the the ability to control her own body's time. Kaylo never failed to recognized her; she had a large device on her chest on all times. Amélie told him it was a chronal accelerator, and it could very much be destroyed.

And with Tracer...

" _Parfait_ _._ "

Kaylo quickly packed up his things and made a straight shot for the markets. Anyone coming from the docks couldn't avoid the center of Ilios; there was only one path to the rest of the mainland and it was right through the busiest part of it. The mission was all coming together and he didn't have to do more than sit for a few days. He couldn't help but smile to himself, but as he thought what he was going up against, he started to wonder what exactly he was going to do. How would he get her attention?

He slipped into the crowd of people, watching as Tracer and the girl walked up from the docks and into the chaos. The girl looked caught off guard, and it was clear that she had never been in Greece before. They walked to the edge of the markets, where less people were gathered. For a second, Kaylo thought that they weren't going to stay, but when Tracer pointed to the different shops he knew that they would be there for a while.

Kaylo slipped under an umbrella table and took out his notebook, making himself look busy. The girls went into a place to eat and haven't seen him yet, so he was in the clear.

He took his sunglasses off and checked his watch, noted the time, and started to write out a quick update to Gabriel. A quick update turned into a paragraph and he was soon enough spilling his worries about this mission and all the things that he felt could go wrong. If today didn't go well, would he get a chance again? What if he couldn't get close to her at all? Would he have to kill her? What would Gabriel think of him? They were reasonable doubts... or so Kaylo felt. 

But he deleted the message and put his head in his hands. Sometimes his own stupidity irritated him. He wouldn't get sympathy from anyone, much less Gabriel. Amélie wouldn't know how to help him, and Sombra would suggest blackmail.

"Someone looks like they're having a rough day. Mind if we sit here?"

Kaylo inhaled sharply and looked up. What luck. What absolute luck.

"My name is Lena!" The upbeat pilot in front of him smiled, but Kaylo's eyes were on the distracted person with her. He looked at the girl who was now much closer to him than he ever thought she would be. She had dark and long curly hair, just like the picture. He noted that she had blue eyes, which was something that he couldn't see in the photo Gabriel showed him. Kaylo thought she looked out of place. Lena's large gestures brought his attention back to her, and she pointed to her companion. "This is Arin."

_Arin._

"Oh, I'm Kay." He panicked. "It's a nice to meet you. Please, sit!" He pushed a smile onto his face.

Lena thanked him and the girls sat down with food, and so far, Arin had yet to say anything.

"So, Kay, do you live here?" Lena asked, digging in to her lunch. 

It was decided after a moment of thought that he could be honest with them. Talon kept his existence a secret for missions like this. He had asked for it when he joined, and Gabriel was more than happy to let that happen. Should he keep up the fake alias? If he didn't, how much would it hurt if he bent the truth? He wouldn't be lying, not exactly. Kaylo went forward with twisting the truth. If he really felt like he needed to be honest, he would. Now wasn't the time. "I do, but I only moved back here recently. I lived in Italy for a while, that's where I went to school."

"Italy?" Arin asked, perking up a bit and finally locked eyes with him. _Bingo_. "What part?"

"Veneto. Venice specifically." He clarified.

"Oh, I used to live near Venice! I came here a little less than a month ago, I think. Right?" Arin looked over at Lena, who in turn, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, anyways, I lived in Rialto. This is my first time coming to Greece and it's..." She looked around before letting out a slightly exasperated sigh, "It's a lot. I'm not quite used to it yet."

He hummed in agreement. "I get it. Greece is popular, and Ilios is a lot bigger than most think, which means more people. Coming back was like a slap in the face." He let himself laugh a little and noticed that Arin did too.

Abruptly, Lena stood and said she was going to get something to drink while throwing Arin a knowing look. Kaylo didn't catch Arin's subtle glare.

Eager to keep the conversation, Kaylo kept going. "So what brought you to Greece?" He crossed his arms on the table and leaned forward a little bit with a welcoming smile.

He saw a sliver of worry flash through Arin's eyes, but that was good for Kaylo; he had cornered her. She managed to calm herself before talking, and her voice didn't waver one bit. "I'm staying with my family off the coast. Normally I'm not the one for trips, but I couldn't pass up the chance to stay on an island."

That was a blatant lie, but he had to admit it; she was good under pressure. He wouldn't have been able to come up with something that quick. But all stones will crack with force... he told himself that maybe this one just needed time. "That sounds really fun." He'd rather live on an island than underground... "How long are you staying for?"

"I'm not sure actually," Arin's smile faded slightly as she talked. "I assume for a few more months. I haven't seen some of these people in ages," There was hesitation in her voice. "But I'm already itching to go back, because I miss going on adventures and walking around the town at night. If I want to go to town I have to take a boat." She took a bite of her food, and when Kaylo didn't talk, she kept going. "I've had a rough few weeks and getting to see and try new things has taken my mind off of it."

The honesty caught Kaylo off guard. Did she not feel vulnerable? He was never good with other people's emotions, but he decided if he was going to do his mission right he would soon have to learn. He needed to pose as a good person to get what he wanted, and it almost made him uncomfortable to think that way, but it was the truth. "Well... I would be happy to show you around sometime. There's a lot more to Ilios than shopping." He said, watching her grin come back somehow brighter than it was before.

"Really? That'd be amazing..." She dug her phone out of her pocket and slid it over to him. "Here, if you put in your number we can talk more about it. I have a feeling Lena will want to go soon."

_This isn't happening_ , he told himself. Kaylo wasn't used to things going that easy. He took the phone as if it was something delicate and did as he was told. When he gave it back, he gave Arin his. He didn't realize he had given it to her before it was too late, but she didn't seem interested in snooping in his personal life and gave it back to him without any suspicion. Talon would have shunned him.

"I should get going, I have to be at work soon," He stood as she handed back his phone. "It was really nice meeting you, Arin. Tell Lena it was nice meeting her too. I hope we can work something out soon," He said with a gentle smile.

"Yes, thank you so much. It was nice meeting you too." She sounded so sincere when she talked that Kaylo couldn't help but feel warm.

Before he could screw anything up, he waved goodbye and headed straight for his apartment. His heart was racing and he wanted nothing more than to shout from the rooftops that for the first time in a _long_ time he was doing something right. Maybe he wouldn't have to tell Gabriel that he changed his mind and he wouldn't have to take a life. He could relish in the fact that things were going smoothly.

Kaylo was so excited he almost forgot that he would have to follow up on his offer. There was a new flicker of doubt in his head because he didn't know how. What would she want to do? Did _he_ have to decide?

"Of course I would have to decide..." He muttered as he unlocked the door to his apartment. After all, Arin wasn't the one that asked to be shown around.

"Good God, okay. Relax." He told himself. Kaylo repeated it twice, and sat down on his bed staring at his phone like he had never seen it before. How soon was he supposed to text her? What was he supposed to say?

"Hey Arin, what do you want to d-" He cut himself off and sighed. "No, I just ruled that out... What about, Hey Arin, this is Kay!" He cringed and fell back onto his bed, "She knows who you are, dumbass..." He rolled over on to his stomach and let himself think. He almost wondered if Sombra would help him, but he wasn't in the mood to be sassed and made fun of.

He pouted and stared at his phone one more time. Thinking about the things he should and shouldn't say made him tired, so he tossed the tiny device away and let the sweet comfort of sleep engulf him.


	6. Truths of the Dragon and the Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter visually looks a lot better on a computer/laptop, but if you don't have access to either, the ending may look a little odd. Just a heads up.

"You know, Lena, when you said we're going to sit next to a grumpy boy, I didn't think you were serious. And what made it _even better_ is when you left. You left!" Arin looked at Lena, who did not seem to mind what happened one bit. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Sorry, love, I can't listen to someone who's complaining about getting a boy's number," She grinned, and Arin groaned.

After their lunch with Kay, the girls had their own day out. Granted, they had to make a few stops for Winston, but other than that, it was all them. Arin was able to get a haircut that was more than needed, new clothes to better fit the weather, and a distraction. A step away from the chaos and homesick feeling that plagued her since her weeks after waking up.

To Arin, their peaceful afternoon ended far too quickly. They had done everything they wanted, and more, but she wanted to venture outside of the city. She was starting to get sick of the island, as arrogant as it sounded to her. Lena tried to assure her that soon she would get used to it and there wasn't that much in Ilios anyways, but Arin wasn't going to bank on it. Not after Kay told her otherwise.

By mid-afternoon, they were on a boat back to Elláda with bags of clothes. She didn't know how she was going to thank Lena for being so giving and pampering her. Arin didn't have much to offer, and words didn't feel like enough.

"Hello? Earth to Arin?" Lena's hand was waving in front of Arin's face.

Arin nudged it out of the way. "Arin is here, over," She smiled. "What is it?"

Lena shook her head with a giggle. "We just docked, if you didn't see that. Aaand, Jesse wants you in the training hall in an hour."

" _Maledizione_... fine... Oh, uhm, Lena? Thank you for today. I had a great time and I promise I'll make it up to you!"

Lena smiled and nodded, handing Arin a bag. The pilot shooed her off and she went without a complaint.

The night before, Arin got the exciting news that she could start moving into her own room. There wasn't exactly a lot to move, but it would still take time to get used to. She had a closet, her own bed, and a space where no one could bother her. It was a dream come true. It almost made her feel bad that she didn't want to spend time there at the moment.

She set the clothes down near the closet door, and left as quickly as she came. There was still a part of the island that she had yet to see, and she was going to get to it while she still had the time. Jesse suggested the spot to her, which was a surprise in itself. Arin never thought that he was the type of person to spend time sitting by the edge of the sea.

The spot, Jesse told her, was past the garden in the tree grove marked by a single fallen trunk. He very clearly stated that she would "know it when you see it", but up until then Arin was skeptical.

Yet, there it was. Past the slowly decaying tree was a beaten down trail, lined with lush shrubs and vines. She couldn't help but noticed that it almost looked taken care of. She pushed forward, admiring the sunshine that was peaking through the umbrella of leaves. It was nearly silent, except for the quiet scraping she could hear as she continued. At times, the noise would let up and stop before continuing again.

There was no clear end in sight, but when the pathway veered sharply to the right, she had decided that whatever it was that would be waiting for her was right around the corner. Arin was surprised to see a man, about as still as a statue, sitting on a raised part of the ground.

"Greetings, Arin," A voice called to her. She had heard it once before.

"Hello, Hanzo."

"Please, sit," The archer motioned to a spot next to him, and Arin did as she was told. Looking up at him, she could see that his mind was deep in concentration. He held an arrow in his hand and a knife in the other, carving something her eyes couldn't see.

When she turned to look out past the break in the trees, she could clearly see the ocean in all of its beauty. The sea held an important place in her heart, and she inherited her love for it from her father. He would have liked the view.

"You look distracted," Hanzo murmured, glancing down at her.

"You could say that," She replied quietly, watching the waves go by. "Jesse told me I should come here. I didn't expect to see anyone, but I have to say... I'm a little happy I did. It would be nice to get to know you more. So... tell me... how did you come to Elláda?"

She heard him exhale sharply. "My brother, Genji, had always pushed me for a better life after we reunited," He was soft as he spoke. "He hoped that I would forgive my past and heal by choosing a side in the world. I went with him, not knowing where to start, and we came here.

"Genji had a family... A family that was not very fond of me..." At that, Hanzo smiled. "What I did to him long ago was something they never forgot. I was nearly forced to leave, and if it wasn't for Genji's persistence, I would have. He explained that he had forgiven me, and wanted me by his side. They were reluctant, especially Jesse, as him and my brother grew very close over the years. But they let me stay. I started to learn more about everyone else and now I am here, with a new family of my own. I don't think I can regret the decision I made."

Arin smiled somberly, remembering Marco as Hanzo talked of his own brother.

"Since we are on the topic, how do you like it here?" Hanzo questioned, pulling out a new arrow to carve into.

Arin watched the waves sparkle as she spoke. "I love it here. It's great. I'm learning more about the world than I ever have, and people care about my wellbeing." Hanzo gave her a skeptical look. "Okay, okay. Sometimes- sometimes it's overwhelming. I miss my baby brother, and my mama's cooking," She laughed a little bit. "When Marco got rough in the kitchen, my mama would always joke about catching him with a strainer. I miss being around people that make jokes like that. Everyone here has their own group and they've had time to form bonds strong like that... I haven't really yet..."

Hanzo didn't respond for a moment. "Arin... the next time you find yourself in a group of people, think about the memories you are making right at that moment. My brother told me to do the same when we arrived. You do not have to have a strong bond with someone to make memories," She saw Hanzo glance down at her in the corner of her eye. "Jesse helped make me feel more welcomed, and I am sure that he would do the same for you. After all, he has been talking about you quite a bit now. He calls you his little storm."

A smile appeared on her face before she realized it. She had heard Jesse call her that a few times before, but knowing that he used it around other people gave it a new meaning. "Thank you, Hanzo."

Hanzo hummed in reply. She heard the carving cease for a moment, before it continued again. "Excuse me for asking, but Arin is not your real name, is it?"

She let out an amused huff, but as her smile faded she shook her head. "It's not." And he was right for assuming so.

Arin was never comfortable with her birth name. Before she was born, her mother was married to her biological father, an alcoholic and overall, an asshole. When she was born, he picked her real name against her mother's wishes. Eventually, her mother got divorced and found her step father, who Arin took to calling her _real_ father.

Their conversation soon into a comfortable silence. The archer carved away at his arrows, and Arin watched the sun reflect on the ocean. She couldn't have asked for anything different. The fact that Arin could talk to Hanzo without feeling judged was something she had never gotten to experience. This was also their first real conversation, and Hanzo was right; she didn't have to know him to make good memories.

The wind carried the scent of Genji's garden, a smell she had gotten quiet used to. Until she knew about Hanzo's spot, it was where she spent her few minutes of free time after meals. But something was off; it also smelt of cigarettes and gunpowder.

"You can smell him from a mile away..." Hanzo turned around to face the opening of the path and nocked an arrow with a small blinking device on it. He shot at a nearby tree, and soft blue waves were emitted from it. Amongst the waves was a man walking towards them.

Then, peaking around the tree was a cowboy. "Am I interrupting?"

"Only with your... interesting odor." Hanzo replied.

Jesse grinned sheepishly, stepping out from behind the trunk. "Sorry, Han. I came to get Arin for training. Care to join us? You can smell more of me when I have to take you to the infirmary," He challenged.

But Hanzo only laughed. "In your dreams, Jesse," He called, rising from the ground with his bow. "I will join you, but you shouldn't forget that your first priority is your student."

"No, no, I want to see this," Arin jumped up with a smile. "My bets are on Hanzo. He's scary."

"Scary?"

Jesse paid no mind to Hanzo's question. "Han? Scary? Hah! Either way, you are about to lose your bets, little storm."

.

.

.

Hanzo won, but so did Arin in a way.

After she kicked Jesse's ass, regardless if he "was going easy on her," she got a message at dinner from Kay.

"Lena. Lena. Lena!"

The pilot spun around on her heals with her hot food in hand. "Yeah, love?"

Arin shoved the phone towards her and in return, Lena let out an excited gasp. In a hurry, she zipped over to the dining room, set down her food, and zipped right back. The phone was snatched from Arin's hands for the pilot to read.

"Well, aren't you lucky!" Lena said, handing it back.

"Who's lucky?" Jesse called from the kitchen. He was helping Hanzo make dinner. Apparently, they always cooked together after sparring. Lena mentioned that they did it so neither of them held hard feelings.

Arin let Lena take her hand and drag her into the kitchen. "Arin!"

"No, I'm not, I just... I met someone today and they finally sent me a message." She felt the heat rise in her face as Jesse whipped around to look at her with surprise.

"You met someone? Who is he? What's his name?" That earned Jesse a light smack on the shoulder from Hanzo.

"Give her a chance to answer the first question, cowboy. And finish cooking the meat." Hanzo muttered.

"Han... come on..."

Arin couldn't stop herself from smiling at them. "If it helps, his name is Kay and we happened to live near each other. He went to college in Veneto."

"What a smart man. When do I get to meet him?" Jesse teased. Hanzo glared at him, but the cowboy only stuck out his tongue.

The archer rolled his eyes, but turned to Arin while dishing up their food. "I have to say, I am not surprised. Men your age should be head over heels for you."

When Jesse agreed, Arin was left embarrassed _and_ flattered.

After everybody ate, the girls tried to figure out how to reply. It felt surprisingly complicated, but she had never had to respond to a message like that before. And Lena never had to flirt with a man. In the end, with a little input from the cowboy and the archer, they were able to settle on something nice.

_Hey Arin, I hope you had a_

_great time today! I can't wait to_

_show you around._

_Hi Kay! We should work_

_something out soon. Excited_

_to see what my tour guide_

_comes up with_ _! :)_

The little storm fell asleep that night with only one person on her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just sprinkling in some parental figures and relationship development


	7. Retrieve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At the end of the chapter is a picture one of my friends drew.

Kaylo was very aware of the notification from Arin. But right then, he was too nervous to look at it. So he did everything he could not to. He tried to make himself dinner, but fucked up so bad he had to have reheated leftovers. Not even the view from his balcony was enough to reprieve himself for the poor attempt to make something edible.

Just like his reality, in his mind it was chaos. He kept wandering back to the thought of Arin. Her vivid blue eyes had left an impression on him. They were so bright when she talked and they had Kaylo mesmerized.

But in the end, he had to keep reminding himself that she was a mission. That would be the only thing about her that Kaylo could act on. She could never be more than that to him. He wouldn't let himself think of her in any other way; his job would be at risk. There was no telling what Gabriel would do if he found out.

Death wouldn't be forgiving.

The soft clink of his spoon against the empty bowl turned his thoughts away from Talon. The world around him was forever changing. He would have to hold on to the hope that his future would be good to him.

Tired of thinking, he decided that was enough for the night. He turned and hopped down from the railing.

Before he had the chance to sit down, a tiny, cheerful ping broke the silence in his room. His watch was blinking with an incoming message, but it wasn't good news by any means. "Just because I'm _here_ doesn't mean I want to do your job," He tossed the watch onto the bed.

What was asked of him seemed simple enough; a group of buyers in Ilios were selling Talon weapon plans to measly gangs on the streets and he was supposed to retrieve whatever was left.

Kaylo took to the assumption that the people he was going after would be armed. It wasn't hard to guess why. He had been there before with Gabriel, and he remembered a majority of what it looked like. Considering everything, he would have to do most of his work quietly.

He tore off his shirt and pants and replaced them with a slightly tighter versions of each. No extra fabric- nothing to grab. Around his thigh was a holster for a knife, and on his desk were three cylinders, one larger than the rest. He put all three in a light backpack. 

Still sitting in his suitcase was his gas mask. It was perfectly tailored to him and it was everything he ever wanted and more. It was one of the few things he had that he could truly call his own. As he picked it up, he ran his hand over the filters on each side. They were his favorite color; iris purple.

The rest of the mask had seen better days. After being chipped from months of use, paint flakes would fall into his hands if he rubbed hard enough. A distinctive scar ran it's away across the visor, but it wasn't deep enough to pierce it. The straps were worn as well, but that didn't bother Kaylo. As long as it worked, it would be enough for him.

Along with gloves, shoes, and his watch, he was able to sneak out of the apartment and into the cover of night.

The only thing that lit his way was the moon and the hundreds of stars above. At the height he was at, the light from below him couldn't touch him. And while Ilios was dark, the city was far from gloomy. As he raced and jumped along, sounds of laughter and cheering faded in and out as he passed by bars and buildings. Most of the world was at rest and chaos slept away in hiding until the morning.

Where he was going wasn't far - he had been there before - but he had to admit that he was starting to get tired. He was only human after all. But he recalled the phrase that Gabriel would tell him time and time again. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." It rang loud and clear in his head, and as much as Kaylo hated to hear it, it was true. So he kept running. As the rooftops became further apart, adrenaline jumped through him like lightning.

At the next jump, a person flashed in his mind so vividly he panicked. He slipped and dropped his bag.

His back hit the ground first and the air was pushed out of his lungs. Stunned, Kaylo stared up at the sky until the stars stopped spinning. He tried to roll over, but his body protested every movement.

He inhaled sharply and forced himself to sit up. An aggressive string of curses fell from his lips at the same time, and he nearly wanted to call for help. His fingernails dug into arm in an attempt to keep himself from screaming as he stood. His bag was only a few feet away, but in his head it felt like miles. The tears threatened to spill but if he could just get to his bag...

He collapsed on to his knees. He inched closer, but every small movement made him want to fall over and pass out. His will to live was already low, but the added pain wasn't giving him _any_ hope. But the distance to the bag was. Merely a foot away, it sat on the pavement mocking him. He was crawling now, but he finally grabbed it and held it tight to his chest.

He pulled a small vial from it and downed it all in a single swallow. The effect was instantaneous; and in moments he felt the energy come back to him. His back stopped aching. It wasn't perfect - his head was still spinning - but for now it would do. He shakily got up from the ground and took in what was around him. It didn't cross his mind while he was running that he was nearly where he needed to be.

Kaylo slung the bag over his shoulder and hauled ass back up to the rooftops. He only had to jump once to get to the building. He was able to remember a few hallways and rooms from his visit, and it was only a matter of dropping in without being seen. But these people were idiots.

"Who would steal thousands of dollars in weapons and then have a window in their ceiling?" He looked down through the glass; an empty office. He found latches on the window and popped it open. He didn't question for a moment if he could fit through the space; he was about as thin as a real snake.

He jumped down onto the floor. The room was dark, musty, and it looked almost... unused. There were two bookshelves with nothing on them. At a closer look, he saw that it was protected by a layer of glass on the front. Why wasn't anything on display?

Kaylo slid his mask on. There was nothing in the room that would be of use to him, so he stepped out into the hallway. Down the long corridor and a flight of stairs opened up to a large room. That's where he would need to go. But an open door was in his way. As he moved closer, he could just barely make out light conversation. An omnic with a raspy voice and the voices of two men shouted back and forth at each other.

There was a chance he would be able to get past the door without being seen. But judging by the tone of their voices, Kaylo would be shot on sight if he was caught. And looking around, it didn't look like there would be any other way.

He moved past the doors slowly, but once he was on the other side the conversations stopped. His feet started to carry him faster than he had ever gone before. His fingers twitched when he heard one of them reload. The end of the hallway was near and as their shooting and yelling started, he laughed. Mostly out of fear.

But he had made it into the biggest part of the building. It felt more like a basement that another room. He pressed his back to the wall right next to the door. In the brief moment of peace he pulled out a canister of hydrogen sulfide from his backpack and held it tight in his hand. It would stop them for a bit while he searched, but it wasn't enough to do them any real harm.

The men barely had a foot through the door when he pulled the top off. The gas spewed out and he dropped the can. He sprinted further into the room and started digging like his life depended on it. There were piles of paper but thank the God above that Talon branded their work with their logo like one wasn't enough.

One of the men shouted obscenities at him in Greek and he shouted back in French, but he would've been surprised if they heard him. He looked up just in time to see the omnic man finally step out of the gas. Took him long enough; none of that should have hurt him.

But seeing he didn't have a gun, Kaylo elected to ignore him and tore through another pile at lightning speed. " _Te voilà!_ " He smiled under his mask and shoved two pieces of paper in his backpack. Now the third was another story.

"Don't even think about it."

His body froze as he felt the cold barrel of a gun on the back of his head. The giddy feeling of pure luck he had seconds ago turned to fear, and he was lost. "Now, now... no need to be so rude..." Kaylo brought his hands up above his head and turned around slowly. It was the omnic.

The gun was at his forehead. There was only one thing going for him; it would be a one-on-one fight. How fast were this omnic's reflexes?

He decided that it didn't matter. He grabbed the man's arm. By the time he was able to shoot, Kaylo had already pushed it away from his face and was turning his body for a kick. He was able to land it on his neck, but the omnic recovered faster than he had guessed. He felt freezing metal fingers grab his ankle. The sudden stop in momentum threw him off balance and he struggled to keep himself up right. The machine pushed his foot towards him, and he fell onto his back.

In the second of silence, Kaylo heard something in his backpack crack. Considering all the things he had in there, he was scared to know what it was. But as purple gas started to engulf the air around him, he felt a laugh bubble in his throat. " _Votre temps est sur le point de s'épuiser, mon ami._ "

He called it Snake Breath. In humans, if it was breathed in, death was almost instantaneous. He had only been able to try it once with an omnic, but the effects were just as brutal. "Soon enough you will start to slow down. It will solidify under the right conditions... your body just happens to have what it needs." Kaylo pushed himself up from the ground. He didn't want watch the machine's poor attempt to escape from death's unmovable grip. Back to searching.

The humans he had ran into earlier were passed out, but alive, which meant the clock was ticking. There was an absurd amount of stolen blueprints and files that didn't have any right to be in the hands of these low life people. But who was he to truly judge? He scoured through piles of junk and half finished projects. These people didn't take care of their inventory at all. His face crinkled in disgust as he picked up a wet pile of papers. Someone had a leaky roof.

"Where the _hell_ is it?" Kaylo was growing increasingly more frustrated with every piece of scrap he saw that wasn't Talon's. How hard was it going to be?

Suddenly, out of nowhere, he heard coughing and he stopped in his tracks. He turned so quickly he could have sworn he almost pulled a muscle. Standing alone by the door was a new figure in a mask with something held tightly in their hand. Upon seeing it, Kaylo sprung like a trap. There was no doubt in his mind that he had found what he was looking for.

The cough was replaced with a hoarse scream and a long string of pleas begging for mercy. But Kaylo was never an angel. He had the newcomer on his back in seconds with a knife to their throat.

"Drop it," he spat. He watched the shock on the their face turn to outright fear. They let it go nonetheless and he snatched it before they had any second thoughts.

"Please- please don't kill me!" He watched as they started to sob. "I'm not here to fight back I- I was just supposed to de- deliver that..."

_Okay, fine._ Maybe Kaylo did feel a little bit of sympathy. It would be useless to kill someone so innocent. They didn't look like they had the means to fight back anyway. So silently, he got up. He sheathed his knife and looked down. The figure had yet to move from where they were. Fear must have kept them from doing so. But they were no longer crying. In an attempt to still look like the bigger man, he held up to fingers to his eyes and pointed them right at them. A universal sign for "I'm watching you."

In the corner of his eye he could see the sky was starting to brighten. He looked down at his watch and it was already nearing 5 a.m. Soon enough, the world would be waking and he wouldn't have much to hide himself. After one last look at the bodies around him, he went out the same way he got in. Kaylo was back in the place he felt safest, and was on his way home.

The trip felt shorter than it was before, but he was thankful. Exhaustion was seeping into his bones and weighing him down with every jump. The feeling he felt when he saw his apartment in the distance was relief like he had never known before. His bag was hastily dumped by the door when he got inside. He moved on auto-pilot, barely having enough energy to take off his clothes. But once he did, he was in bed within seconds. The sound he made when the soft mattress cushioned his fall was unholy.

Even thought he was tired, he mustered the energy - and courage - to do one last thing.

Good morning Arin. Sorry for replying so

late, I've been a swamped with work.

There's a festival down by the

beach I think you would really like!

It starts Friday. Let me know

if you're interested.

. . . 

He was fast asleep before he saw her reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The picture is called Boy on the Run, and it's Kaylo.
> 
> I would like to apologize again for this chapter being a week late. I share a computer with my family so I don't always get to write. On the days I do, it's not for long. I hope you stuck around until the end. See you again soon!


	8. A Present

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a lot of dialogue in this chapter, so I'll have quick translations at the end!

"Come on, Jesse! One more time!" Arin pretended to grovel at his knees.

"No!" The cowboy laughed. "You're just gonna to do your zippity zappity thing again! Can't you leave it at a tie?"

Arin pulled out her one go to trick; puppy eyes.

"Don't you dare! No, you're not getting me. Not this time." Jesse turned away. "Go see Genji if you're hankerin' for a fight. I have a date with a tall, gorgeous bottle of whiskey."

A thought came to her head. "What a weird way to say Hanzo," she eyed his back.

Jesse spun around so fast it caught _her_ off guard. The red creeping up onto his face was worth the scare. That is, until Jesse held up his hand. His fingers started counting down from five.

"Shit."

She ran.

Jesse didn't even finish counting down before he followed her. She sprinted out the door and into the hallway. Both of them were shouting at each other, but Jesse wouldn't let up. Arin soon found herself in the crew quarters. She ran past her own room, thought about it, then chose not to go in. He would still get her.

Arin never wouldn't have guessed Hanzo was a 'sensitive subject'.

One more turn would lead her out into the dinning hall, where she might be able get away. Just one more turn... But their adventure was cut short when the devil himself turned the corner. She nearly barreled into him at full speed, and if it had not been for her prosthetic scraping the ground, she would have.

"Hanzo! I'm so sorry, I was just-" Her words were cut short.

"Come here!"

Before she knew it, Jesse was behind her and had her in a noogie. The two erupted into laughter, and despite her protests, he held her there. Arin was just able to see Jesse look up at the man in front of them. "Howdy, Han. How are ya?"

The poor archer looked confused, but offered a curious smile. "Just fine, Jesse..." he said slowly. "Is this what you two call training?"

Arin squirmed and zapped her way out of the hold, and lightly shoved the cowboy to the side. " _No_ , because usually I win," she grinned and looked over at Jesse, who was hastily brushing down his hair while glancing at Hanzo with a sheepish look.

"Got a little too carried away, I s'pose..."

Hanzo's curiosity was replaced with a subtle fondness. "As you always do." He turned to her. "If you'll excuse us, Arin, I've been offered a couple of drinks that I've been needing for awhile."

She lifted her hands in defense. "And who am I to stop you. Have fun, boys."

The archer nodded in thanks and Arin watched as the pair headed off around the corner.

Now it was time to focus on herself for a little bit. A shower, to start, and then perhaps paying Baptiste a visit to see if he made dessert. When no one was out on missions, life at Elláda was domestic. Everyone had time to indulge in their hobbies and relax with each other like a family.

Speaking of family, her mother was a bit overdue for a call. It would be creeping up on a month since Arin has seen her family in person, and about a week since their last call. The feeling of homesickness was fading away as she put herself through training and work, but nothing could ever match the warm hug from her mother or Marco's sweet laughter.

Recently, Jesse and Hanzo were a close match to being like brothers to her. Maybe Hanzo was a brother-in-law. Besides Lena, she was closest to the boys than anyone else there. She could confide in Hanzo without feeling judged, and Jesse helped in her "upbringing", as he called it.

She had absent-mindedly made it back to her room. Her shower was warm and after a long training, more than needed. But _damn_ was she hungry. After she combed her hair and put on more comfortable clothes, she made her way down to the kitchen.

"Look who it is! My favorite chef." Arin teased as she stepped into the room. The smell of fresh baked cookies filled the air.

"Yeah, yeah, that's enough out of you. What do you want?" Baptiste's smile was contagious.

Arin pretended to think for a moment. "Wrong question. Should've asked _which_ one I want," she said as she picked up two cookies. When Baptiste didn't protest, she bit into one. "Mm! What kind?"

"Close your mouth," Baptiste tapped her chin. "And they're lemon blueberry. Good, right? Now that you've stolen my hard work, help me bring this to the others."

She pretended to be upset, but ultimately did as she was told. Baptiste handed her a tray and they walked down to the lounge together. Arin struggled to keep herself from eating more cookies as they went on. Baptiste's potential anger was the only thing keeping her from going through with the urge.

As they passed the office, the room two doors down was the lounge. It was busy that night, and almost everyone was there. The only people she didn't see were Jesse, Hanzo, and Jack. Genji and Angela were chatting happily with Zenyatta, Ana and Reinhardt were talking with Brigitte and Winston, and Lena was throwing banter with Lucio.

"Oh, Jean, you come through again!" The DJ was the first to dive in and everyone else followed suit.

Arin sat next to Lena, who was holding out her phone to her. "Left this at the dinner table. You have a message from that cute boy." The pilot giggled and zipped over to the cookies.

When no one bothered to give a second glance at what Lena had said, she opened the message. When Kay had texted her at the unholy hour that morning, she was already awake and more than excited. A festival with a cute boy? Her life felt like a movie. She only found it a little weird he was awake that early.

"Arin."

As she read over the message again, she could only offer a quiet 'what' under her breath.

" _Arin_."

She looked up. Lena was staring at her with a smile, but so was everyone else in the room. She felt her cheeks burn and she nearly threw down the phone. "Y-Yeah?"

At the moment of her question, the door slid open and Jack appeared in the way. He had a rectangular box behind his back. And behind _that_ , Jesse and Hanzo.

"Did I missing something?" Arin shifted to the edge of her seat. Despite being under the assumption that the boys were drinking alone, they had bottles of alcohol and glasses. And for once, Jack almost seemed happy. He was wearing casual clothing instead of tight "work" clothes. She's never seen him like this before; the always on edge, angsty soldier looking relaxed.

Jack sat down next to her and set the box into her lap. "It's a welcoming gift. I... I know part of the reason why you're here today is my fault, but when you decided to stay with us, I was more than relieved. Overwatch has been struggling to get back on it's feet... but I think that with you here, it's a start." Jack beckoned for her to start opening the box as he kept talking. "Everyone here has been able to pitch in in some way to make this happen. Though, your biggest supporters, have to be your family."

"Are they here?" Arin hesitated.

Angela moved towards her with a holovid in her hand. "No, but a video call is about the next best thing." She knelt down in from of Arin, and in the holovid she could see her mother and Marco. The nervous cloud in her head vanished at the sight of her family.

" _Ciao amore! Come te la passi_?"* Her voice was music to Arin's ears.

" _Meravigliosa, mamma. Sai cosa sta succedendo?"*_

_"Lo faccio, ma non posso dirtelo. Dai, apri il presente!"*_ Her mother scolded her lightly

Arin couldn't help but giggle. " _Ti ho parlato per un secondo e mi stai già preoccupando."_ * But her hands worked away, ripping the tape off. Whatever was inside was wrapped neatly in tissue paper. The sound of crinkling wasn't enough to cover up Marco's laughter through the phone. Much less the sound of Lena's.

She could have sworn that her heart stopped when she saw what was inside. Her fingers grazed the cold metal, and the feeling of adrenaline that surged through her was unmatched to anything she has felt before. It was a rifle. Her own rifle. It was a deep blue with lemon yellow and neon blue accents. When she felt her heart beat again, there were light tears in her eyes.

Jack shifted in the quiet. "So?"

All it took was one word. It took that one, tiny question to break the dam that was holding back all of her joy. Careful to set the gun aside first, Arin jumped to Jack and hugged him tight. Her string of 'thank you's' and laughing broke the silence. Soon enough, people were laughing with her. Jack even hugged her back. God, how she missed being hugged.

When Arin pulled away and looked back to the holovid, her mother was just as happy. "How did you play into this?" She smiled.

Marco climbed into view of the camera, smiling his big, grand old smile. "We picked colors!"

Her mother got Marco to settle down on her lap. "You and your father's favorite color, blue, and Ciro's favorite color. Yellow."

Ciro. She hadn't heard that name in a long time. Ciro was her eldest brother, who died fighting in a war that didn't involve him. But the way her mother chose to honor him through colors on her rifle made her soften. " _Pensare che sto vivendo il suo sogno mentre lui non è qui ... Che mondo._ "* She laughed, her odd way to cope, but her mom knew all too well that she meant what she said. She would have time to think about him later.

"Isn't it like Christmas, _sorella?_ " Marco cheered, and Arin smiled.

"Absolutely. But I think it's getting a little too late for you to be awake, is it not?" When Marco started to pout, she laughed. "I'll call you tomorrow, Marco. I promise." And after a few more goodbyes, Arin ended the call.

The first thing she was greeted with was a glass of whiskey. "What did your mom have to say?" Jesse questioned, taking Lena's old spot next to her.

She tried to ignore the burn in her throat. "I'm sure you could figure it out. Spanish is not that far off from Italian. You know that," Arin teased, and turned to Jack who was still at her side. "I should thank you again, Jack. I never imagined that this is where my life would go. Your speech was really sweet, and I don't want you to think that everything in Rialto was your fault."

Apparently, compliments were not something Jack knew how to take well. His response came out a little flustered, and Arin couldn't tell if it was the alcohol he had been drinking a bit ago, or just him. She sparred him the embarrassment of having to respond anymore and handed him a another drink.

In the brief moment where the attention wasn't on her, she looked at her phone once more and the rush of excitement came over her again. From across the room, Lena looked up just in time to catch her reaction. Their silent exchange in facial expressions and glances told a thousand stories. That's what friends do, she supposed. Lena stood up and left the room first, and Arin followed her a few moments later.

"Here, I don't know what to do." Arin shoved the phone into Lena's hands at the first sign of them being alone.

She read the message a few times over. "Oh, well isn't that sweet! 'I'm glad you're so happy, you look really cute when you smile. See you Friday!' Ugh, darling, you have yourself a keeper."

"Yeah, I know... I had the same reaction. But how do I respond? At all?"

Lena fell into thought. "No. No, you thank him tomorrow."

"Wait- it's Thursday?"

Lena showed her the time on her phone. It was past midnight.

Arin exhaled and took it back. "I need another drink. My next few days are going to be crazy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Hello sweetheart! How are you doing?" [Mother]  
> "Wonderful, mom. You know what's going on?" [Arin]  
> "I do, but I can't tell you. Come on, open the present!" [Mother]  
> "I talked to you for a second and you're already worrying me." [Arin]  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> .  
> "To think I am living his dream while he is not here... what a world." [Arin]


	9. The Start of Something New

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter leading up to something better.

Kaylo was growing soft. _Kaylo was growing soft._

He had been getting ready to see Arin, thinking about what she would think and if she would like tonight, and it had failed to cross his mind that this was his mission. What had been on his mind since the days meeting her had completely just... disappeared. When he had sent her that message two days ago, he wasn't lying. She was really pretty. So if Kaylo kept telling himself that she was an Overwatch agent, maybe it wouldn't be that difficult to keep her out of his head. He could just be a friend. A friend that wanted to give her everything in the world.

It was nearing four in the afternoon now. They had agreed on meeting at five where they first met, and they'd walk down to the festival together. He tried to think about that, but of course, he couldn't focus on one thing for too long.

"I'm allowed to have feelings, right?" He asked himself that question as his hands worked away at combing through his hair. He was a wonderful over thinker; scatter-brained and anxious for most of the time he was awake. His mission was doing a number on him.

He stopped combing his hair when he looked at himself. Did Arin notice the scars on his face when they first met? It wouldn't take a lot of work to cover them up. But his head shook vigorously. "No! No. I don't need to... they're impressive..." he pretended to flex in the mirror before he shied away in embarrassment. But he needed to take one last glance to make sure he wasn't a mess. For the first time since his 'inauguration', he looked presentable. But the longer he looked... the faster his confidence fell. Addressing issues about himself wasn't something he did well - or did at all for that matter - so he turned away.

Kaylo found his knives to be a good enough distraction. It was one of the few odd comforts in his life. He almost debated on bringing one with him until the profound dumbass in him realized it was a date.

A date... Was it really a date?

"Huh. It really doesn't take much to get me to spiral..." He tapped his head as he picked up his phone. 15 minutes past four. A sullen groan escaped him as he fell back onto the bed. Not only was he getting soft, he was incredibly impatient.

As he finally got comfortable, his watch sounded. A call. He rolled off of the cotton and sulked over to the desk. It was the only person who talked to him, so Kaylo greeted him how he always did. "What do you want?"

He almost heard Gabriel roll his eyes. "Don't talk to me like that." Classic. "I think you know what I want to hear."

"That I'm doing my job effortlessly and you should hang up?"

" _No_."

"Fine." Kaylo inhaled. "I will see her tonight and I'm trying my best. If I can get a full name or a birthday, it will be a start. If she doesn't say this first night that she is apart of Overwatch, I'll keep digging. As usual..." The last words to leave weighed him down with exhaustion.

On the other line, there was a brief moment of silence. "You're worried."

He scoffed. "Amazing observation. Didn't think you would notice. Or care, for that matter."

"You underestimate how much I care about my students. Plus, you wear your heart on your sleeve."

"I do not! And I haven't been your student for a year now, why do you insist on calling me one?"

"You keep acting like one."

"Ouch." Kaylo sat down on his bed again. "What do I do?"

He heard the signature sigh. "Take your time and be smart. You're not running out of time. I'd rather you take a year and put in effort than spend a week making dumb attempts."

"A year?!"

Gabriel groaned. "Salas. Are you listening?"

" _Ouais_... Sorry."

"You're on ice talking to me like this. Trust your instinct, but stay cautious. Talon will be arriving soon, you will need to do as much as you can before that. O'Deorain will want to swamp you with work the second you show your face."

"I thought you just said I'm not running out of time?"

"There is a difference."

"You're such a liar."

"Seems like I learned it from the best." As they talked, Kaylo picked up on the subtle smile in Gabriel's voice. He still had feelings, after all. Their conversation went on for a bit longer, but it was mostly filled with back and forth bickering.

"Mm, what time is it?" Kaylo was picking at his nails.

"4:56?"

"Oh-" Kaylo tumbled out of the bed. "Okay, I have to go. I'll let you know how it went later. Bye!" He hung up and shoved the phone into his pocket. With room keys and a wallet in hand, he made a running start for the markets. He could only hold on to the hope that Arin would be okay with his disheveled hair.

At least he wasn't sweating yet. The half a mile walk turned into a five minute run, but he made it. But where was she? Kaylo looked around. He looked to the food place and the umbrella table they sat at just a few days ago. The place was busy, people flowing in and out like water, but he would have seen Arin if she was there. Would have picked her out like a sore thumb. It crossed his mind that maybe she didn't know where to go.

"Kay?"

It took him a second to realize he was supposed to respond to that name. He turned around.

There she was. She was wearing a yellow dress that almost made her eyes brighter. Her hair was half up, half down, and looked professionally done. He could see she had a tattoo-a wave that wrapped around her upper arm. There were beads of water on her face as if she had just been through a mist, but Kaylo couldn't deny that it nearly made her sparkle. And to complete the look... a smile that rivaled the sun.

He waved. She was beautiful.

But as he looked down, he realized something far too late. A prosthetic was shining in the evening glow as if the lighting was meant for it, and only it. Kaylo knew all to well that Arin didn't have a prosthetic in Rialto, and despite not seeing it when they first met, he knew exactly when and how she got it.

And it was all his fault.

.

.

.

"Athena, what time is it?"

"3 p.m., Arin."

"And Lena is...?"

"On her way here."

"Great, thank you." Arin sat down on her bed. In two hours, she would be going on a date and her excitement was getting to her. Her impatience was weighing down on her like a brick.

The only reason Lena was coming to see her was to help her figure out what to wear. And as if on queue, there was a knock on the door. With a quick comment to Athena to unlock it, an excited pilot came jumping in.

"Ready?" Lena asked with a grin.

"I should be asking you that," Arin replied. "My closet is about as bare as a desert."

Despite what she had, the two made quick work to find options that would best suit both Arin and the weather. The temperature wasn't going to change much as the sun went down - which meant it would be warm and without a breeze - but she had all of the right clothes for that. They only had one problem.

"Which one?" Lena held up two dresses side by side.

Arin sat in thought. "I don't know..." she looked from one dress to the other. "They both give off the same impression."

"Too fancy?" Lena asked, setting them down on the bed.

She agreed. "Too fancy."

"Well, you're just going to the festival, right?" When Arin nodded, the pilot held up a finger and zipped out of the room. Moments later, she came back with something different. As Arin ran her hands over the light fabric, she smiled. The dress in front of her looked handmade and sewn with care. As Lena went on about how she had made it herself, Arin knew that it was the perfect match.

"And you're going to let me wear it?" At that, Lena seemed to giggle.

"Can't wear it with this thing on my chest. Go ahead, take it." Lena handed the dress over to Arin. "I have to go, but I should tell you that Hanzo is waiting for you in the garden. Promise you'll tell me all about your date when you get back?"

"Promise." They shared a brief hug.

After that, Lena left. Arin slipped on the dress quickly and made her way outside. The fabric was light enough to flow in the minuscule amount of wind that was there, and a little thing like that made her smile. Life was going smoothly for the little storm. But there was someone waiting for her.

"Haaanzo!" A call.

"Over here!" A response.

She skipped her way through the flowerbed until she caught sight of the archer in all of his glory. He reminded her of a statue. In his hand was a hairbrush and little ties, and next to the edge on the end of the path was a bench and a low stool.

"Well, aren't you sweet." Arin said as she neared. With only a laugh, Hanzo motioned for her to sit.

"Who's taking you to go see him?" He asked, combing through the waves.

"Jesse. He says he has some 'business to attend to' outside of Ilios. I'm not sure what he meant, but I can't argue killing two birds with one stone."

Hanzo worked and pulled the top half of her hair back into a bun. "You never know what he's up to in that head of his. Such a mystery even I can't unravel."

She hummed in agreement. As Hanzo brushed the rest of hair, she heard the clinking of a certain pair of steel-toed boots. "He always shows up when we talk about him, doesn't he?"

The archer laughed again. "Seems like it."

As Jesse came into view, the two of them made eye contact. She winked. He rolled his eyes. "Almost done there, Han? I don't mean to bother ya, but I don't want the little storm here to be late."

She waved him off. "It's not even four yet! We have time."

"It's 4:30."

Both Arin and Hanzo made a surprised noise and she could feel his hands lightly push her forward. She went, but made sure to thank him, albeit hastily.

Jesse led her down to the docks, but they weren't heading towards the boats. They walked under a trail that ran under an overhang. "Jesse? Where are we going?"

"Jet ski." Cryptic.

"Overwatch has jet skis?"

"No, but Jack does." They turned the corner and Jesse motioned to three of them. "Take your shoes off, they might get wet. Here." He handed her a life vest.

Without question, Arin pulled the vest over her and slipped her shoes off. Holding them to her chest, she got on to the jet ski and sat behind the cowboy. After attaching a red clip to her life vest, they pulled away from the docks. It was smooth sailing from there.

And at times, the feeling of mist on her face was almost relaxing, despite traveling at 44 kph. But over certain bumps, she could have sworn she heard Jesse hiss at the way her hands dug into his stomach. It was the only leverage she had, how couldn't she? Thankfully, they arrived at the docks on time, and Arin was quick to make it off of the jet ski. She put her shoes back on and went with Jesse more inland.

The cowboy stretched his back and rubbed at his stomach. "You call me if you need anything, alright? I'll be waiting down here whenever you're done, but if you need something sooner than that, just let me know. Got it?"

She smiled. "I got it."

"Oh, and I hope you decide to bring him down here. I'd love to meet 'em." Jesse waved and headed left while Arin made her way forward. Of course he would would to meet him.

It took a few extra minutes to find where she needed to go, but soon enough she saw him. He was wearing a beige shirt and a blue jeans, and in this weather, Arin was impressed. His hair looked... astray, for the lack of a better word, but it was a cute look on him. "Kay?"

He turned around, and the amazed look on his face warmed her heart. Kay's little wave made the butterflies in stomach flutter like a hurricane. Everything about him was the dichotomy of handsome and adorable. Arin never could have thought that a single human could be both. Kay could be the man to break all the rules Arin once had thought to be concrete in life.

But that was okay with her.


	10. Everybody Wants to Rule the World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is going to be quite different than the last ones! It involves lyrics from a song, which I will link at the end of the notes. For the rest of the story, anytime lyrics are written out, that song will most likely have been played at some point in the chapter. The lyrics will be aligned in the middle of the page in quotation marks, bolded, and italicized, and not all lyrics will be written.
> 
> I strongly encourage you to listen to the song before you read the chapter, if possible. (It goes too fast to be listened to while you read, but try as you might, who knows how fast you can read). It helps to understand how the lyrics are said, and how the spacing in between each verse is.
> 
> Song link: https://youtu.be/awoFZaSuko4

"Arin! It's so good to see you." Kaylo pulled his attention away from the prosthetic. She would talk about it when she was ready.

They met in the middle of the path and he offered his arm to her. "How are you?"

When she took it, there was a subtle look of adoration on her face. "I'm doing great, thank you. I can't wait to see what where we're going. I didn't look anything up just for the reveal."

At that, he let himself smile. As Kaylo led her through the markets and down to the boardwalk, he talked about different places he went as a kid - none of which was true - and where he personally liked to eat. On the occasional glance to see if Arin was finally getting bored, the way she radiated joy convinced him otherwise. She seemed to be enjoying his blabbering.

Arin came to a stop. "Do you hear the music?" Kaylo wasn't going to tell her that the festival was right across the corner. It would be the first surprise of the night. "Oh! I know this one!" The roles quickly switched and soon Arin was the one pulling _him_ along.

When they finally came in view of the boardwalk, they could really see how packed it was; it felt like an American carnival. He only knew this, because one of the few luxuries that came with being in Talon was going on international missions. One happened to involve... a side mission to a fair.

"Are you coming? There's a ring toss game just calling my name." Arin looked back at him with that signature look. If it hadn't been for her warm hand holding on to his arm, he could have sworn would have fainted. Arin just simply being Arin was doing a number on the boy that hadn't had real affection in years.

"Yeah, I'm coming." Kaylo did his best to seem just as interested in the games as he was in Arin. A new song came over the speakers.

" _Welcome to your life. There's no turning back._ "

Their first stop was the ring toss Arin was talking about earlier, and she was much better at it that he was. There was no doubt in his mind about that. Kaylo bought them two rounds each, and she had gotten three and he had a big one. Both warranted a prize though. Kaylo got a tiny stuffed dog, and Arin got a stuffed bear that was also a backpack.

" _Acting on your best behavior, turn your back on mother nature._

 _Everybody wants to rule the world._ "

Kaylo found himself impressed by Arin's unique taste in music. She was naming almost every song that came on the speakers, and was singing along to half of them, despite them being old songs. Most of what was playing had been made around 70 years ago.

"You seem pretty young to know most of these songs," Kaylo commented as they arrived at a balloon pop game. He handed money to the omnic running it while Arin was digging in her new bag for a few Euros.

"I'm 22 and I grew up with a father who's passion was music. I know a thing or two." When she turned back around and saw that darts were already being handed to her, she glared at him playfully. "I'm buying the next one."

"You may know a lot about music, but you could sure learn a thing or two about letting someone treat you," he teased, watching her hit every single dart.

" _Help me to decide. Help me make the most of freedom and of pleasure._

 _Nothing ever last forever._ "

"So you said you're from Rialto, right?" He took three darts into his hand.

"Mhm." She leaned against the post of the tent, watching him with the slightest smirk. He took aim.

"Were you in the city at the time of the attacks?" He missed the first dart, but was able to make the other two. He received his prize of two lollypops, and handed one over to Arin.

She laughed. "I was. Maybe a little too close." Her finger tapped on her prosthetic, and Kaylo felt horrible for wanting to laugh with her.

" _M_ _on Dieu_ , really? What happened?"

She tore the wrapper off and dug in. Her eyes wandered off to the ocean, where the sun was dipping under the horizon. "You know of Talon, right?" When Kaylo nodded, she went on. "My family and I lived too close to their headquarters, and when Overwatch came in, our house was caught in the crossfire. When I was running to safety, well... someone shot me."

Again, he pretended that everything he was hearing was new. He was the one that shot her. He was the one that nearly _killed_ her. Kaylo may have wanted to forget about it right then, but that would live with him and come up every time he looked at her. "Oh, wow... that must be traumatizing."

"It was. I'm adjusting, and some days are difficult, but don't worry- I don't need any pity. Plus, I lost six kilograms." She patted the prosthetic once more and smiled. Kaylo couldn't hold back his snickering that time. They continued down the boardwalk.

" _There's a room where the light won't find you,_

_holding hands with the walls come crumbling down._

_When they do I'll be right behind you._ "

"If your house was destroyed, where are you living now?" He asked, and before Arin could properly respond, she pulled him towards a duck pond.

"If you're lucky, I'll think about telling you." She handed the employee two Euros.

Kaylo exhaled sharply through his nose. "Yes, ma'am." He looked over the floating ducks. "What's your favorite color?"

"Blue."

"Great. I pick... this one." A tiny duck with a little blue beak in the middle of the pond. He turned it over. "Number 4?"

The employee pretended to 'Ooo' as they grabbed a panda that was just bigger than a small child. They handed the panda to Kaylo as Arin looked on in feigned jealousy.

"Let me hear it." Kaylo smirked as he handed her the panda.

Arin took it and added it to her arsenal of toys. It sat in between her bag and her back. "I live on an island with my extended family. I got here by boat." They went on walking. Eventually, they sat down at an open bar, and it took a bit of convincing, but Arin allowed him to buy her a drink.

It crossed their conversation that she got her prosthetic from Overwatch, but she didn't say anything else about the organization. She had already given up enough for one night.

He only needed one drink to internally decided that he was allowed to show normal emotions, and that laughing was okay. No one from Talon was there to judge him for being - dare he even think it - nice.

When Arin got a phone call around nine, Kaylo had a moment to himself while she stepped to the side. Every light he could see was either a soft baby blue, white, or a rosy pink. And under the lights, everyone seemed to be having fun.

Off shore, yachts and passing ships were enjoying their own little parties. The lights of one boat dimmed, and he saw what looked like a single sparkler. He thought he was right, until a firework shot into the air.

When she returned, Arin slid back on to the stool next him, and they watched the show together in comfortable silence. He looked over at her once or twice just to catch the sparkle in her eyes. A few times, he caught her looking back.

" _I can't stand this indecision, married with a lack of vision,_

 _everybody wants to rule the world._ "

"You know, I should probably thank you for inviting me tonight. I had a wonderful time, and I really hope we can do something like this again." She looked at him and he knew that he would never be able to say no to her.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." He felt her shoulder lightly against his own, and there was a tingle that ran through him at the contact.

" _All for freedom and for pleasure, nothing ever lasts forever._

 _Everybody wants to rule the world._ "

For an evening, Kaylo had let himself be unbothered by Talon's rule and what they expected of him. He was unshackled by his responsibilities and he was making someone _happy_. For him, that never came easy, but with the way he was able to talk so freely and smoothly with Arin, it was possible. He was walking Arin to the docks when he realized that when this was all over, he would not have the only broken heart.

"Oh, I'd like you to meet someone!" Arin gently nudged him forward, pointing to a man sitting near a jet ski. "Kay, this is my uncle, Jesse."

Kaylo looked up at the man in front of him. His heart almost jumped out of his chest. He was standing in front of vigilante Jesse McCree, posing as a girl's uncle. Gabriel was going to kill him for the details if Kaylo didn't die first.

" _Parece que ha visto un fantasma_. It's nice to meet you." Jesse held out his hand.

Kaylo took it reluctantly, trying to focus on not stuttering. "My apologies, it's nice to meet you too, sir." If Kaylo acted nice maybe Jesse won't put a bullet in his head.

"Sir? Well, aren't you a charmer," he laughed. "Have a wonderful night, Kay." Jesse squeezed his hand once and let go. Kaylo watched as Arin and Jesse got on to the jet ski. Arin waved to him, and he waved back. Holding on tight to both McCree and her giant stuffed panda, they rode off into the dark sea.

Did Arin just expect Kaylo not to know who that was? At all? Jesse's head was being called for at 60 million US dollars, and he wasn't supposed to know who he is? With a slightly hysterical laugh, Kaylo went home. He was far too tired to think about how he almost died.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See any editing mistakes? Please comment below!
> 
> Yours truly, Avocado.


	11. It's All a Game (Part One)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A filler and a set up.

"I can't believe I said you were my uncle!" Arin bowed her head, avoiding the salt water. She was coming back from a date, arguably one of the best in years. But maybe telling Kay that Jesse was her uncle wasn't the best idea, but she still got a laugh out of it.

As Jesse let out a hearty laugh, the jet ski swayed with him. "That boy knew exactly who I was. you could see it in his eyes, but I don't think that'll stop him from wantin' to see you again. I saw the way he looked at ya when you were walkin' down the dock."

She smacked his shoulder. "Don't say that!"

"I'm not kidding you, storm, 's true!" Jesse started to slow as they came in view of Elláda.

Arin smiled to herself, resting her forehead on the nape of Jesse's neck so he couldn't see her. She was still amped up from her date, and all of her emotions she felt tenfold. Shyness was no exception. She didn't know if what he was saying was really true, but it made her feel better about her night.

They drifted parallel to the docks and the jet ski came to an eventual stop. Arin dug her shoes from her backpack - a wonderful way to hold things instead of her tiny purse - grabbed her panda, and jumped off of the jet ski.

When her feet hit the ground, a sudden, sharp wave of pain shot through her body like a bullet. She hissed and crumpled to the ground, holding her stuffed animal achingly close.

"You know, it reminds me o- Arin? What's wrong?" Jesse was at her side when she looked up. She was only able to vaguely gesture to her leg before it happened again. Her prosthetic scrapped against the wood as she tried fight it, but the spot where the metal connected to her leg burned.

"How long have you been walking?" Arin barely felt him pick her up. He didn't bother taking off their life vest as he ran towards the buildings. Every bump hurt like hell.

She shut her eyes tight and inhaled sharply. "Four?"

"Hours?!" The anger in his voice scared her.

"Don't tell Angela..."

"Angie is the least of your worries." The door slid open in front of them and Jesse carried her down the hall. The corridors were empty, and at this time, everyone would be in the lounge. She felt Jesse's hand on the back of her head when another wave hit her. Her prosthetic twitched.

"The tech in your leg is new, and needs some work. You shouldn't have been walking that long." Jesse passed through the infirmary doors and laid her down on an all too familiar bed. "Can you..."

"Damnit, Jesse, just-" Arin yanked up her dress in a fit of anger. She was wearing shorts, but on any other occasion she wouldn't have reacted the way she did. She was just in an excruciating amount of pain.

"Okay, I got it, I got it," Jesse shot back, his hands working on unclamping her prosthetic. Arin only knew it came off when mechanical "feeling" died away in a rush of relief. An audible sigh escaped her and she slumped back against the pillow. Her vice grip on her panda loosened and the black spots in her eyes faded. She took off her life jacket and set it on the side of the bed.

After he took his off, Jesse sat on the end and began examining her prosthetic with great detail. His hand worked at a wire and he was quickly taken aback by the electricity that jumped through his fingers, but he kept going anyway. When he seemed finished, he wordlessly stood up and moved towards the cabinet. He dug for a minute until he pulled a bottle from the top shelf. "Here. Take two whenever you put it back on."

"Do I have to tonight?"

Jesse made a quiet "mph" sound and shook his head as he sat back down. "I think I fixed it a little bit. You need to be more careful, but I'm sure you know that now..." He looked down at her collection of stuffed animals curiously. "You gonna tell me where ya got those?"

Arin smiled slightly, turning away from him. "No."

"That so?" His voice perfectly matched her level of sass. "Maybe we should pay Angie a visit then? Athe-"

"No!" Arin sat up, letting her attitude die away. Her eyes didn't meet Jesse's, but she watched him soften at her surprise. "He told me stories of the places he went to when he was growing up. He bought me prizes and turns for games... games that I beat him at, should you know." She paused. "Our conversations came so easily, it feels like I've talked with him before. There wasn't really a dull moment, and I was never bored. I really like him, Jesse. He's a nice person."

"I believe you. I'm sure you know how to take care of yourself, but you know that if you ever need me, I'll be right here, okay?" His laugh was gentle and it warmed her heart to hear it. 

"I know, I know... and your first act of your undying loyalty can be carrying me to the lounge." Arin held out her arms. Jesse rolled his eyes.

"You're killing me, storm. Jus' killing me." Jesse got up and knelt down beside the bed with his back facing her. "Better have that leg on tomorrow."

"Why?" She slid off of the bed and onto his back. Despite only have one leg for leverage, Arin stuck to him like glue. She held on to her prosthetic and her bear as he carried her out of the room.

"Just trust me."

Arin thought for a second. "Ana and Jack?" She asked.

He nodded. "Ana and Jack." Lena would sometimes talk of surprise drills that the two would set up. They became frequent before missions or when Jack felt tensions rising. But Lena had been sure to remind her that it was all just a game.

Jesse turned a corner a little too sharply and Arin nearly slid off of his back. Her mouth opened to curse him out, but she looked up in time to see that the turn they took was the one into the lounge. She smacked Jesse's head and tipped his hat up over his eyes, but he only returned her actions with a smile. He lazily dumped her onto the nearest cushioned chair, but people seemed a little too busy to notice.

"What do you mean I can't?" Genji's voice rose slightly above the rest. He saw looking directly at Jack, who was sitting across from him at the table.

"It's not your turn yet!" Reinhardt interjected, his laughter filling the room. "And you don't have enough money."

"What're you guys playing?" Jesse asked, looking down at the table.

"Monopoly." Ana smiled, shaking the dice in her hand. "The boys aren't doing too well."

'The boys' were Genji and Hanzo, and Baptiste and Lucio. They were all apart of a team, but a pair controlled one piece on the board. They were against Reinhardt and Ana, and Jack who was holding his own-a fitting way for him to play. Lena and Winston were the bankers, and Angela was explaining how the game worked to Zenyatta and Brigitte, who were watching nearby.

"10... Pacific Avenue."

"That's us, anija." Genji nudged a distracted Hanzo - who was very much staring at Jesse - and held out his hand. "The pleasure is mine, Captain Amari."

Reinhardt laughed at this and Ana begrudgingly handed him what they owed.

Arin closed her eyes and listened to the sound of the dice and the sweet bickering. She felt something being pulled over her, and offered whoever it was a quiet "thanks" and went slack against the couch. The voices lulled her into a light sleep as she rested under the covers of a soft, woven blanket.

.

.

.

Some time later, Arin awoke to the sound of her own scream. Her skin was laced with sticky sweat and her breathing was labored. Her hands fumbled with the blanket, throwing it off. She let the cold air hit her body and it was only then that it occurred to her where she was. The sunlight filtered through her bedroom window and the birds sang as they flew past. The world did not seem to adjust to how she felt.

"Athena?" Arin shifted and let her leg dangle off of the bed, trying to remember what her nightmare could have been. She eyed her prosthetic next to her nightstand.

"Yes, Arin?"

"Who brought me to my room?" She asked, attaching the metal leg.

"Lena suggested that you weren't to be woken up, and Reinhardt was the only one able to carry you." Athena's soothing voice pulled her back from her glitching, a better word, in her head, than spasming. The little bottle of pills Jesse gave her wasn't in sight.

"Where was Jesse?" She wiggled her toes and felt her heartbeat return to normal. But one glance in the mirror told her than she'd look panicked for a while- her hair was nearly standing up straight. Not much would fix that.

The A.I. seemed to pause at that, as if there was something she did not want to say. "Jesse was with Hanzo."

That was all Arin needed to know. She shivered at the thought. "Well," she sighed, rubbing her forehead, "there isn't anything that could make my morning worse than knowing that."

And then, as if it was coming from right there inside her own room, an alarm sounded. She deadpanned in the mirror, giving herself a moment to be dramatic.

It took her only seconds to change clothes. "Where are we going, Athena?" Arin asked, slipping on her singular shoe.

"Conference B, requesting full combat. Two minutes remaining."

Arin made a 'hmph' sound. "We have a time constraint? Never heard of that before. Jack's feeling spunky, isn't he?" She replaced her shirt with a layer of padding and a tighter blank tank top. At the time, "full combat" for Arin was her skin and electricity, her rifle - which she had slung around her shoulder - and her wit. And she didn't have much wit. She'd have to talk with Winston soon.

"One minute."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." As she stepped out into the hallway and the blaring alarm grew louder. She did her best to comb down her hair before anyone had the chance to see her. That idea was thrown out the window when she saw Ana ahead of her. "Captain!"

Ana turned around, and waved her over. "Quickly, let's go. And get that hair out of your face."

"Yes, ma'am." Arin kept brushing it down and behind her ears and started to run by Ana's side. At a quick glance, she saw slight panic on her captain's face, along with what looked like a letter in her pocket. She knew she was in no right to ask, but it made her nervous. Was something really wrong?

They made it to the conference room and she watched Ana make a quick headcount. The captain then sent two fingers over to Jack, who closed and locked the door behind them. Everyone was gathered around a table, dressed head to toe in battle armor. Looking at them put Arin to shame.

The room went dark, except for a holovid table in the middle of the room. It was a small scale version of the watchpoint. With a press of a button, tiny orange dots appeared across the board. Jack zoomed in on two specific points on the map, highlighted in blue, and proceeded to address the room.

"Alright, listen closely. Our goal today is to attack two points on the map. Every entity highlighted in orange is a target. You will be separated into two teams, either led by Reinhardt or Winston; Team Red and Team Blue, respectively. On Red, Reinhardt, Ana, Lucio, Zenyatta, Jesse, Arin, and myself. On Blue, Winston, Baptiste, Brigitte, Angela, Genji, Hanzo, and Lena." Jack zoomed out on the holograph.

"Team Red, you will start on the south side of the island and work inward. You will start at the docks and your capture point will be here, by entrance." Jack gestured to the map. "Team Blue, you will work from the inside out, starting at the entrance and ending at the gardens. This is to ensure that teams don't mix. And Genji, I can't guarantee that your garden will be there when you're done."

" _Hakujin dansei... Karera wa jibun no monode wanai mono o ki ni shimasen..._ "* Genji muttered quietly with a smile, and that earned a light slap in the shoulder from Hanzo.

Jack only glanced at them before returning back to the holograph. "Targets won't appear until the clock hits nine. That is when teams should engage. Whichever team is done first should report back to the training hall and wait for further instructions. Is everything clear?"

Lena tapped on Jack's shoulder he leaned down. She whispered something in his ear. He seemed to dislike whatever it was, but stood up straight again. "The team that gets done first gets to pick games in the lounge for the next week."

The room erupted into light cheers and agreements, much to Jack's disbelief. With the slightest trace of a smile, he dismissed them.

Arin followed Ana out the door, unsure if she should be next to anyone else. Besides Hanzo - who was on the other team anyways - Ana was the only sniper. But the captain didn't seem to mind her extra follower, and turned to Arin with a smile. "I can sense your worry from here. You're going to do just fine. Stick by my side and I'll help you out... if you need it."

Arin nodded and quietly thanked her. She noticed that everyone moved behind Reinhardt, but most importantly, her, Ana, Lucio, and Zenyatta all stayed in the back. Jesse and Jack were in front of them, and on occasion, Lucio would move forward a bit to match their speed.

Their positioning was not the only thing she noticed. Besides Jesse, Ana, and Reinhardt, this was her first time seeing everyone _up close_ in combat gear. Lucio's outfit had to be her favorite. After all, he was on rollerblades and was playing music. Zenyatta didn't look much different, but she did notice that he was more composed. Jack looked more put together as well. It was Arin's first time seeing him in his visor, and the assault rifle was a lot chunkier than she imagined.

"The time?" Reinhardt asked, sliding on his helmet.

"A minute to nine," Jack replied.

"Into position, everybody." Reinhardt's voice rang loud and clear, and his shield went up.

Ana tugged lightly on Arin's arm, and they moved back on top of a mound. "Stay low, or stay still. When we start to move, go to the side and put pressure on the ones who are alone. I will be right behind you." Ana paused for a second. "You're going to see a lot of new things today, and some of them will scare you. But Reinhardt's jokes are the only thing you should really be afraid of." The captain teased, and that got Arin to smile.

"Thank you, Captain Amari."

"Good luck, little storm."


	12. It's All a Game (Part Two)

Despite Lena telling Arin a few nights before that it was all just a game, the thought that she could get hurt didn't fail to cross her mind every now and then. Ana did say that she would watch her back, and there was her whole team to keep her safe. But she had never done this before. She had her suspicions.

She heard footsteps at her side and Arin turned. Ana, as calm and prepared as ever, handed her a thin headset. It was dark blue with a yellow mic, and the cold aluminum lining made her fingers twitch. Turning it over in her hand, she saw "Jupiter-001" engraved in the back.

"Jupiter?" Arin asked with a smile.

Ana made a quiet 'hmph' in acknowledgement. "Jack didn't think it would be wise for us to call out your name in combat. He decided on the callsign Jupiter. It seemed fitting."

Arin nodded and ran her finger over the word one more time. Jack couldn't have picked a better name. She tucked her hair behind her ears, and slid the headset on. Athena welcomed her warmly. "Hello, Jupiter. Accessing channel one."

There was a brief moment of static before she heard anyone. "60 seconds until we start." She couldn't make out who it was, but soon a different voice came over that was all too familiar.

"Place your bets on how long this will take. Winner gets a 20." Jesse chimed. 20 what? Euros? Dollars?

"Nine minutes." Lucio replied.

"Nine minutes and... two seconds." Jack challenged. Arin could see him look down at a watch.

Ana and Reinhardt both decided on 12 minutes, going in on the bet together and splitting the reward. Zenyatta went with 11, and Jesse said 10 minutes and 37 seconds exactly. Arin herself didn't give an answer. She didn't know the game would be so short. Waking up early for a 9-12 minute team exercise? She felt robbed.

"Attack commencing in 30 seconds." Athena informed them.

Arin felt a tingling in her spine and legs and unsure if it was because of her nervousness or her faulty prosthetic, she moved to Ana's side. As a few more seconds passed, she decided that it really was her nervousness. Lena told her a few things, some pointers, but she had completely forgotten the second Athena's voice came over her headset. She might have to rely on Ana more than she had hoped.

"Five." Athena started to count down.

No time to worry now.

"Four."

Jack and Jesse stood side by side behind Reinhardt.

"Three. Two. One."

When the alarm sounded, all at once robots and machines that could pass as _tanks_ appeared in front of them. Out of thin air, too. Jack was the first to move, working his way through a group with McCree at his side. Reinhardt shielded them as they progressed forward.

As for Arin, it took her a bit to realize that the game had indeed started and that she could shoot. She followed Ana's lead, taking aim. It probably wasn't good that this was her first real time using her rifle, but no one had mentioned anything to her before. Thankfully, the gun felt like an extension of her body. The smell of gunpowder and fire seeped into her nose, easing her fears.

Two robots that looked shockingly familiar to the training bots, came towards Arin and her reaction came a little later than she had hoped. They almost got Zenyatta from the back. But even hitting body shots, she still... killed them. Arin wondered if there would be a better word for that.

She spent most of the first three minutes moving with the team and getting robots that strayed away from the group. She couldn't offer much when it came to the real battle. Arin was better at learning and repeating, and when Ana spent most of the time healing the team's wounds, there wasn't much to learn. But thanks to Ana, she was picking up on some of her top tier sarcasm.

They had just cleared a group of robots when Reinhardt's voice came over the comms loud in her ear. "Push forward!"

"Copy." Jack swept down bots down one by one, picking off the weaker ones first. He moved forward. The team followed.

"I'm going around," Jesse said, reloading his pistol and tossing away a cigar. It didn't even look half smoked.

Jack snorted and laughed at him. "Already that time?"

Jesse, sharing Jack's humor, smirked. "Obviously."

Arin looked at Ana, trying to make sense of what was about to happen. Ana held her finger up to her mouth, shushing Arin with a smile. Arin pursed her lips and went back to work.

The more she got used to her rifle and her awkward center of gravity with her prosthetic, she was able to pull a lot more tricks she wouldn't normally get away with. She propped up her prosthetic on a mound at a sharp angle and rested her arms on top, steadying her aim.

It became apparent very quickly that the crowds were becoming harder to manage. Ana was doing her best to sleep those that were coming towards Arin, but they were relentless. Two got close enough to touch, and she could see the little pistols in their hands as she electrocuted them. If they started firing at her she would be overrun. Where was Jesse?

Arin heard the call of an bird. It didn't seem like something she would notice, but considering it was abnormally loud, it caught her attention.

" _I_ _t's high noon_..."

Falling from the hill above was a tumbleweed and how it got there was beyond her. Arin followed the sound of the voice until her eyes landed on Jesse just past the hill. He was holding his arm parallel to his chest and stared out onto the see of robots in front of him. There would have been no difference if he had just put a big red bullseye onto himself.

It was only then, when the robots had all turned to find him, that he shot. His bullets found their targets, and Arin counted. One, two, three... six total. In the span of three seconds, Jesse blew through the biggest ones with ease. The team was able to take care of the rest. There was a time of reprieve from the battle.

Arin picked up on Ana's sigh, while Jack and Jesse threw a fist into the air with a cheer. Two very different, and odd reactions. She still couldn't process what had happened, or how. As she looked to Reinhardt, Lucio, Zenyatta, they shared a moment of relief. A smile crossed Arin's face and with a shrug, she let herself enjoy what had happened. There would be more in store for the little storm to see.

"Jupiter! Come here." Ana waved her over. Arin walked with her behind Reinhardt. "In a little bit, I'm going to Nano Boost you."

"What's-"

Ana didn't let her finish. "You won't feel any pain and you'll be powerful. What I want you to do..." Ana started to giggle. "I want you to jump in there with your hands. Jesse got six robots. You get seven."

Arin pointed at herself, wanting to make sure that Ana really meant what she said. When Ana nodded, Arin made a quiet 'hm' sound, more to herself than anyone else, and went back to where she was before. "You have a lot of faith in me, Ana." But to that, her captain said nothing.

While the rest of the group walked forward, Arin stopped in time to see the sun peaking over the watchpoint. The warmth against her skin soothed her worries about Ana's expectations. The field rolled on in front of Elláda, looking larger the longer she stared. What she would give to stop the fighting, just for a moment, to lay down and seep up the sun's kisses. She wondered what Kay would think of the view.

Her time of rest was rudely interrupted by the deafening sound of a new wave of robots. Reinhardt's shield went up a ways in front of her. Jesse had returned to the group and was keeping watch on their backlines.

The next time someone flanked in the middle of the fight, it was Jack and Lucio. Lucio seemed to be having a good time, and his happy attitude was rubbing off on Jack. She liked watching people's dynamics during training, but seeing her team interact during games was another level of endearing.

"Ready, Jupiter?"

Arin flinched at the sudden voice, realizing that she had been zoning out. "Whenever you are."

Despite everything she thought was going to happen, she was not expecting a needle in her arm. Pain faded away and was replaced with a fast and near deadly rush of power. Her body was a live wire, burning and ready to go.

Arin slid her rifle over her shoulder and charged in with confidence leveling Reinhardt's. Her hands grabbed at anything metal that she could see. She even jumped for the first time after getting her prosthetic. She noticed Jesse's pistol was no longer firing, and Lucio's music had switched from something fast to a slower song. Arin's senses were picking up on things she wouldn't normally notice, but despite being able to hear the tiny things, they passed through one ear and out the other. A whirring sound came from her left, and her hand had reached for it before she had a chance to see what exactly it was. Her body was moving on auto-pilot.

"Jupiter, behind you!" Jesse's voice came over the comms.

She spun around. Two robots were in her face when she looked back. There was something touching her side but she ignored it in favor of putting her hands on one of their arms. Electricity from the first bot followed over to the second, and they both short-circuited and fell to the ground. She went back to the crowd.

Arin's high lasted only a few seconds longer, and she knew it was done when her head started to spin and feeling came back to her. She stilled, looking around to see where she was.

Her eyes locked onto her team. Most of them were staring at her in slight surprise. Jack was looking on in approval. She couldn't... tell how Zenyatta felt, so she offered a sheepish smile and a shrug.

"How many was that?" Arin asked, rubbing her hands together. There was a tingling sensation in her forearm that ended in the tips of her fingers. She could feel a considerable amount of static in the air around her, and there was no doubt in her mind that Arin's hair was standing up straight.

Ana started to count in Arabic. With what Arin guessed was a light curse, Ana had a total. "Eleven."

Arin didn't have reaction right away. But when it all came back to her, she felt giddy.

"Come on, Jupiter! You took my moment away." Jesse's whine carried over in her headset. When Arin looked at him, he was smiling. He was also walking... right for her.

"No! No! Get away!" She laughed, turning to sprint. But Jesse was faster. He had grabbed her side and- " _Oh_ _mio Dio_!" Arin's laugh had turned into a strangled cry. Where Jesse grabbed her burned and ached like a wasp sting. She looked down to try and see, but it was Jesse's hand that she noticed first. It was covered in blood. 

He looked down at his palm and then to her waist. "Oh god, I'm so sorry. Damn, okay. Come here, sit, sit." Jesse, ever careful to avoid her wound, helped her down onto the ground. "She's hurt."

"I'm not! I'm not, it's just..." She pulled her hand from the cut and watched blood smear on her skin. "Okay. I lied. _I lied_."

Ana knelt down beside her and lifted up the side of her shirt. "Mm. You'll be fine."

"Fine?! What do you mean fine? It hurts- what are you doing?" Ana held her gun to Arin's side and Arin had her hand on it in a second. Ana shot once before she had a chance to push it away. Not only did the static feeling in her arm go away, but Arin looked down in time to see the cut closing on it's own. With one more bullet, and the pain was gone entirely. Arin exhaled sharply. "Thank you. But I hate how your gun works, Ana. I just hate it."

Her captain smiled and held out her hand. Arin took it and Ana pulled her off the ground. "Get used to it."

"We're about to push into the capture zone." Jack came up at her side and put a hand on her shoulder. "You ready?"

"Yeah." Arin pulled her rifle from her shoulder. "I don't think I'll be doing that any time soon." Jack only grinned and gave her a solid slap on the back and left.

The distance to the building was growing closer. The sun was now fully above the watchpoint. By now, it had to be a lot longer than 12 minutes. Ahead of her, four pillars stood tall, decorated with carvings and names. In the middle was a concrete fountain that has seen it's better days. It was covered in chips and cracks, and weeds sprouted at the ground. She'd never seen a spot like this before.

"Enemy contact." Jack's voice came over the comms, and he pointed to the left of the team. Two robots, about twice the size of Reinhardt, were charging right towards them. Smaller robots appeared to the side, surrounding the tanks.

Arin moved, aiming down her scope. Jesse, Jack, and Lucio moved to the right, pressuring the robots from all sides. Reinhardt protected Ana and Zenyatta so they could heal.

"Watch your back, Arin." Jack was looking over at her.

Arin turned around, seeing two bots coming near her. Again. She was able to shoot one and grab another, whispering a quiet 'oops' as they fell to the ground.

"Team, press the attack!" Jack called. She saw a swirl of blue and white fly from his gun to who knows where. Reinhardt, who was happy to put his shield down, started to swing like there was no tomorrow. Arin decided that she wasn't going to be squashed like a bug, and backed up onto a hill.

She ended up next to Jesse in a slight dip in land. Beyond the hill and past the garden, Jesse was watching the other team fight. "Look. Look at Hanzo, real quick. He's about to do it."

Not surprised that Jesse was watching him, Arin offered a quick glance. "He's not doing anything... Oh." She heard Hanzo's shout across the way, and what followed was something she never expected. Two blue dragons, swirling and dancing around each other, shook the earth. Arin could feel their power from here, and she wanted nothing more than to watch them dance around her and sit within their storm.

"Gets me every time." Jesse's admiration was radiating off of him.

"Alright, loverboy." Arin smiled at him. He didn't seem to mind the name. She turned around on her heel knelt down on the ground. "We have work to do."

Jesse didn't say anything, but Arin felt his serape brush against her arm and him move up next to her. If that wasn't enough, his pistol was a loud reminder.

Things had been playing out smoothly, and her shots had been lining up nicely with the smaller robots. Until her fingers started to twitch. Her body seemed to be moving in response to something, and Arin had a feeling that she knew what it was. Despite knowing that she should let go of her gun, her fingers clamped down where they were.

"I think it's about to happen again," Arin said softly, but the worry reached her words before she could stop it.

Jesse looked over at her and he scrunched up his face in confusion. When Arin tapped her prosthetic, his eyes went wide. "Now?"

"Yeah, yep. Now. Right now." There it was. The burn. The oddly numb sensation. Aches. She gritted her teeth together. This time around, she wasn't going to be useless. She tensed her muscles.

"Okay, sit down. We've got most of the work done and... and you're not sitting down. Arin."

"I got this. I'll deal with it." Her body was screaming at her to sit down like Jesse pleaded. But her mind so readily decided that she wasn't going to be vulnerable around her team. Her prosthetic spasmed as she aimed, but the harder she gripped her rifle, the less it moved. So even if her hands did start to blister against the leather wrapping, she didn't let go.

Down her line of sights, Jack was going to town on the two larger robots. Back and forth, back and forth, rockets, rockets, rockets. The pattern and repetition grounded her and pulled her thinking away from the pain. Jesse had stopped bothering her, but she felt his hand against her shoulder blade. Another anchor.

But then a wave hit her she wanted to scream, or just curl up into her ball and sleep. But no one was picking up on what was happening, so that's how it would stay. Arin suppressed it.

She watched Lucio jump from pillar to pillar, gliding against the wall, and that was something new. Zenyatta was going on the offensive. Ana was sleeping robots left and right. Reinhardt flung fire from the ground. The robot's numbers were dwindling, but Arin's line of sight was doing the same.

"Arin? Hey, talk to me. What's happening?" Jesse patted her shoulder lightly. Arin only shook her head. Talking would bring her to tears, and she could not afford to cry when she relied on her vision. The last two robots were going down by her bullets whether Jesse liked it or not. There was no stopping her now.

She heard him sigh and he started shooting with her. In a fit of anger, some of her bullets came out of her gun crackling with energy. And after one clean shot to the head, the final robot fell.

Arin dropped her rifle, pulling her body away from the edge. Her fingers blistered and bled. The prosthetic twitched and writhed against the ground, pulling up dirt. Her vision darkened. The last thing she heard was Jesse calling to someone-she didn't pick up the name. She fell against his shoulder.

And then it was black.


	13. A Fish Out of Water

Being out in the middle of the night, even for him, was unnerving. Kaylo - holding the tiny stuff dog he won at the beginning of his night out - was walking his way back to his apartment. He was too tired to climb, so he settled for cutting corners through alleyways. An odd choice, but it was too late to change his mind.

His evening with Arin was wonderful, and nothing had brought him more joy than being able to give her gifts. She seemed to like them, too. But Kaylo, ever the over-thinker, was torn between two things. At the Fight of Rialto, Kaylo had made a choice that cost Arin a limb, and he didn't doubt trauma came with it. The reason she had her prosthetic was _because_ of him, and he couldn't change it. Not only that, but there were chances that she would be trained to use it as a weapon.

Second? He had just came face-to-face with a vigilante. That fact had been bouncing around in his head for a while now. Jesse McCree had a bounty calling for him at $60,000,000, and a man like that could put a bullet in his head without question. But Kaylo would probably, truly thank him for it.

He simply craved death at the sign of any inconvenience.

Kaylo often wished he knew more about the cowboy, but McCree was a touchy subject around Gabriel. Kaylo had just joined Talon when Gabriel was involved with Blackwatch. When they were forced to disband, Kaylo was finally being initiated. Thrown under the bus by his own family and turned into a disappearing black-mist murderer, Gabriel secretly joined Talon and led the attack on Switzerland. When Gabriel returned, he deemed Kaylo capable of god knows what, and took him under his wing. Knowing of their history, Kaylo had always thought that Gabriel was looking for a replacement for Jesse. Someone to look after and constantly bother.

Kaylo laughed at himself- Gabriel didn't need to look after anyone. He was just lonely.

Another pair of footsteps echoed in the alley, and he came to a stop. It was the sound of heels, clicking against stone. He picked up on the familiar pace, and in a few more seconds, he found the courage to speak.

"You wanted me to notice you, I hope?" Kaylo said, tucking the stuffed animal under his arm.

"I did."

Kaylo turned around. Amélie stared back at him, her gun resting on her shoulder. She looked menacing in her heels, being taller than him and all. Her hair was tied back and although she hid it well, Kaylo had a feeling that she just came back from a job. It would explain why she was here. "What do you want?"

Amélie looked away. "Akande is sending me on a scouting mission to Elláda tomorrow evening. I figured you should know."

"Why?" Kaylo waved his hand, motioning for her to walk with him.

"Because Gabriel doesn't know, and I am not giving the information to Akande- I'm giving it to you." Amélie detached a hard drive from her rifle, and handed it to Kaylo. "You'll be able to watch what happens as I do it."

Kaylo rolled the hard drive over in his hand, looking down at the scratched Talon logo. "Awe, maybe you do have feelings!" Sarcasm etched it's way into his voice. "What do you want?"

"Nothing."

"Learn to lie better." He put the drive into his pocket.

Amélie made a 'hmph' sound. "Fine, you have to come to Monaco with us in a month."

Monaco, huh? Kaylo's pace slowed, and he rubbed his chin. He suddenly sped up, knowing all too well that there was only one person who Talon went to see in Monaco. "God, no... no. No! If I see Maximillian I _will_ kill him. The second I see him, I'll put a bullet in his head."

"There is an entire casino and one Max. You do not have to look at him!" Amélie threw her hand up in exasperation before holding it out to Kaylo. "Give it back if you're not going."

He dug it out and slapped it into her hand, but Amélie didn't pull her hand away. She stared at him, knowing damn well that he was having second thoughts.

Kaylo would give up a lot to know more about Arin and Elláda, but God, he did _not_ want his pride to be one of those things. His hatred for Maximillian ran deep, starting at his first mission. The moment they met, it only took one offhand comment from Maximillian to make Kaylo want to tear his robot head off right then and there. And Kaylo was keen on holding grudges.

But what would Gabriel think of him if he found out that Kaylo willingly passed up information in favor of being a baby? That's probably what he would say, too.

" _Oh mon dieu, c'est stupide._ I hate you, Amélie. Truly." Kaylo took the drive back.

"You will never hate me as much as you hate Max." Amélie's smug smile made Kaylo's ears red with embarrassment. "I will call you when I'm ready tomorrow."

Kaylo nodded, and his grip on his stuffed puppy tightened. "You're not going to kill anybody, right?"

Amélie's expression fell, and there was a brief pause before she answered. "I do not make promises, Snake."

He didn't have a response to that. When Amélie didn't follow up, Kaylo excused himself. He said a quiet goodnight in French, and Amélie grappled away.

Arin would be in danger if Amélie was around, even if Amélie didn't kill. If she did, Elláda would be on lock down for weeks until they find out why Widowmaker was there. Not only would that screw over Kaylo's mission, but Talon would be at risk too. God only knows what would happen if Overwatch knew that they were moving to Ilios. But he decided that it was tomorrow's problem.

Speaking of Arin, he already started to miss her. Not- not in a _romantic_ way. She was just a light-hearted and funny person. To Kaylo, he felt that they got along nicely. Her sass and sarcasm equally matched his, and her taste in music was unique. He thought of her as a friend. He hoped that maybe Arin felt the same.

When Kaylo got home, he had never slept better. He took a shower and was out cold only a few minutes after his body touched the bed. No dreams or nightmares bothered him, and when he awoke he was absolutely blissful. A smile rightfully adorned his face.

It was passing 11 a.m. when he decided to get up. His feet hit the carpet with a light thud, and he walked over to his pile of clothes from the night before. Kaylo pulled the hard drive from his pant pocket and slid it onto his desk. For a few more hours, he wouldn't have to think about work. Amélie wouldn't be going in until later, and the day was still his. So he made pancakes. A little luxury- making food that tasted good. He was never a good cook, but when it came to breakfast food, nothing was easier.

When he finally cleaned up the kitchen, he sat down at his desk. His food, albeit slightly cold, had been devoured in five bites, and Kaylo was left with hiccups as he opened his computer. After putting in the drive, a black screen popped up, presumably where the camera was going to show later. When Kaylo looked at the clock, a groan broke the silence in the room. He had at least five more hours until anything happened.

He opened his desk drawer and sighed. There was a certain gas bomb plan he wanted to rework, and Snake Breath needed to be refilled. He had been putting it off for a while now, but seeing that he didn't have anything else to do, he dove into his work.

.

.

.

"There!" Kaylo sat back in his chair, beholding the sight before him. Instead of refilling Snake Breath, or sketching out a new gas bomb design, he made a tower of folded pieces of scrap paper and paper clips. He ignored the uncomfortable feeling that came with wasting the entire time doing nothing, and marveled at his work.

He was interrupted a quiet beep, followed in rapid succession by ringing. Kaylo got up and pulled his watch from the dirty clothes pile, and looked at the screen. It was Amélie, and apparently, it was not the first time she called that evening. With two little taps, he answered. He heard Amélie quietly mutter something to herself before finally addressing Kaylo. "I am in position."

"Hello to you too." Kaylo delicately moved his castle to the side.

Amélie merely ignored him. "Camera is now... on." The black screen on his computer flashed blue for a brief second and was replaced with what looked like... tree bark.

"What am I looking at?" Kaylo asked, folding his arms on the desk.

" _À quoi cela ressemble-t-il?_ A tree, you stupid snake."

Mildly annoyed, he rolled his eyes. "That's- no. Where are you?"

"Hm." The camera turned. He saw a building, surrounded by a neatly mowed lawn. The outer walls were curved instead of sharped corners, and the two story building was out of place amongst the nature. From the height Amélie was at, she was put just above the roof. It was slightly slanted and painted over in green and brown, matching the colors of the floor below. That was about the only thing that blended in.

He had seen a lot of what Amélie was showing him, through various pictures and video clips. Studying Elláda had been like going to school all over again, only he didn't forget what he learned that time around. But what would be new to him today was everything outside. Talon didn't think scenery was important when it came to debriefing agents on Overwatch's headquarters.

As she looked down, the camera, which might have been on one of her shoulders, tilted slightly. In the corner of the screen, there was a patch of flowers, neatly planted in rows by color.

"Is that a garden?" Kaylo moved closer to the screen, accidentally knocking down his tower. A whine left him before he could think about it, and his own hand flew to cover his mouth. But once again, Amélie didn't respond to it. Wise choice. Kaylo would have died right then and there out of sheer embarrassment.

" _Oui_. And people." She shifted on the branch and was now lined up with a group of two. The camera zoomed in. One man was dressed in a grey hoodie and darker sweatpants with neon green accents. His jaw was not flesh... but metal. There was a band of silver above his head as well, but after that Kaylo couldn't see. The scarred face was busy pulling up weeds. At that, Amélie scoffed. "Genji Shimada... a gardener."

"Wait-" Kaylo's eyebrows furrowed. "That's Genji?"

"Yes. I do not know who is with him."

An omnic hovered above the ground a few feet beside Genji. There was a basket in his hand full of various flowers, but was mostly filled with yellow and indigo. The omnic wore tan pants, ripped at the bottom hem, and orbs floated around it's neck. Kaylo decided that it was a servant.

Without questioning anything else, Amélie started to move.

Like most of Gabriel's Blackwatch gang, Kaylo did not know Genji personally. He knew him through stories, and a single picture on Gabriel's desk, but they had never formally met. Kaylo was happy to keep it that way- but it would have been nice to commit some of him to memory.

Amélie's graceful maneuver through the trees was fun to watch, especially considering he did not have to keep up with her. She was moving to the west side of the island, and from what Kaylo could see, there was a wide, open field. Amélie ducked behind the cover of leaves, but the camera was not shrouded by them.

"What's that in the middle?" Kaylo rested his chin in his hands, eyeing a blacken patch of grass.

Amélie brought her rifle over her shoulder, scoping in on the scorched earth. "Recent fire marks. It's smoldered. I can see _braise._ "

"Embers, huh?" Kaylo grabbed a piece of paper from his fallen castle and started to write down details.

"It looks like blue fire. No- not blue fire. Electricity." Amélie seemed just as confused as he did.

"Electricity can't stay around long without a source, if I know anything about science." But he added it to the observations.

Amélie scoffed. "You have a university _degree_ in science, act like it."

"First of all, Biochemistry, it's different. Second, if I _had_ to guess, something down there is metal and holding a lot of power in it. Swing down and pick it up."

Amélie fell silent, and instead backed up closer to the trunk of the tree. "What's wrong?" Kaylo tried looking around on the screen, but nothing was out of sight.

Amélie turned the camera. Far beyond the clearing, two double doors closed behind another pair of people. A man, and a girl in a wheelchair. He could not make out who the man was, but the girl... oh, her face was a sight. It was Arin. Amélie turned directly towards them. "That is your target, yes?"

"If you touch her, Amélie, and I will gut you." He only realized what he said after Amélie giggled. His warning came out harsher than he intended. Arin was not a romantic interest... he just needed her alive. For his mission, obviously.

"No need to be defensive of your little toy. I could not get away with killing her if I tried. That man is Hanzo Shimada, heir to the Shimada Clan. And yes, the Shimadas are brothers. This one is a skilled bowman, equally as observant. If I move, he will fire on me before I can aim. So watch."

Kaylo's sigh seemed to make it through to the other line, because Amélie flicked the camera, shaming him from across the screen. But Kaylo didn't bother her.

He would do a lot to keep everyone alive.


	14. Look for the Woman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know, I find myself saying that I'm really only writing it for myself, and I don't mind how I write, but if you have any suggestions I'd always love to hear them.
> 
> Updates will be sporadic, as I have another fic I'm working on too, but know that I'm not giving up on either of these stories. To put it simply, the plots for both are finished, I just need to put them into better words.
> 
> See you all again soon!

"So, if Jesse saw this, why isn't he here?" Arin laid her head on the back of her wheelchair, staring up at the man wheeling her.

"Oh, don't worry. He'll be out in a bit." Hanzo smiled at her, tapping her head. "He's just picking something up."

Arin nodded and massaged where her prosthetic would be. She had passed out earlier that morning during the team game and had woken up in the infirmary, right under Angela's supervision. When she came to her senses, she got an earful from her about how she was putting her body at rish. Arin was sure that the doctor couldn't have been more red. Arin had also been on the receiving end of Jesse's yelling too-he had talked about how she was too stubborn for her own good, and that she could have simply gone without her prosthetic if it hurt that much. Arin's only rebuttal was that she couldn't walk without it. That didn't help her argument. Jesse almost broke his back spinning around that quickly.

And for the most part, they were both right. Arin _had_ been too stubborn, and now she was in a wheelchair, not only until her body healed, but until Brigette properly fixed her prosthetic. She had been told most of what was broken had come from the millions of volts of electricity that left her body, something a normal person would've have been able to withstand. Her prosthetic sure couldn't, and that had come from the best engineer on the island. So Brigette offered to fix it and make it better.

Hanzo pulled Arin's wheelchair over a bump, and she stopped thinking about her broken body. When she used what Jesse referred to as her "Thunder Storm", a piece of plating fell from her prosthetic fell. It wasn't much, but when Jesse tried to pick it up by himself, it zapped him. Jesse complained that if Jack found scrap on the lawn they'd be cleaning for months, so he waiting until Arin woke up so she could get it.

"Do you know where it is?" Arin asked, tapping her fingers against the armrest. Waiting had never been a strong suit.

"Patience, _arashi_." Hanzo scolded her lightly. Arin was getting bored.

"Hey! Han, slow down!" Jesse called from somewhere behind them. Hanzo did slow, eventually, but made no effort to do it right away. It made Arin smile. But Jesse, barely winded, came to a stop next to her chair. Jesse held a bright bouquet of deep blue and yellow flowers in his arms. White paper that wrapped around the flowers crinkled in his hands as he handed her the bouquet. "Here you go, lil' storm. It's from Angela."

"I didn't know Angela had florist skills." Arin laid the flowers in her lap, running her fingers over the soft petals. It was a sweet sentiment, and Arin had to guess it was the because of how she was yelled at earlier. And if it wasn't-a nice gift nonetheless.

"She doesn't, Angela just asked the garden boys. Don't tell her I said that." Jesse smiled and patted Arin's shoulder.

Hanzo made a surprised noise. "Did you... just call my brother a garden boy?" Arin heard the smile in Hanzo's voice, and watched Jesse's hand rub the nape of his neck.

"Well, I mean... maybe?" Jesse smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Let's- let's go."

Arin giggled. Adorable.

Jesse adjusted his hat before sauntering off. Hanzo wordlessly followed, taking extra care to avoid bumps so her bouquet-and hopefully Arin's bottom-stayed intact. The sun was setting, and the clouds took on thousands of shades of purple and pink, mixed with soft oranges and yellows. It reminded her of the sunsets in America when she stayed in Nevada. They were such a sight; the open desserts compared to the tall and cluttered buildings in Rialto.

Arin was suddenly reminded of her family. Marco must have been driving her mother crazy by now. She had obviously dealt with taking care of boys, she once had a child and a husband at the same time. But Arin wondered if she could fit in work _and_ take care of Marco without an extra hand. Arin could only imagine how stressful their first few nights were without her to distract Marco so mom could work. It was selfish to think, but Arin had started to wish she was at home instead of at Elláda. Not only to help her family out, but to relax.

"Here! Look." Jesse jogged a few feet forward and tapped his foot against charred grass. In the very middle, a metal plate the size of her palm crackled and jolted with static. Arin could feel it from her chair. It was a dark grey, almost matching the color of the ground, and about as thin as a piece of paper. No wonder it went without being noticed.

"Lower me, please?" Arin moved the flowers aside and held out her arms. Hanzo and Jesse each moved to a side and grabbed her upper arms. They lifted her out of the seat, and Arin settled on the ground. She thanked them in Italian, an subconscious act, and hovered her hand over the tiny metal piece.

There was no telling what would happen if she picked it up. Arin guessed that there was chance she could absorb the electricity if she thought about it hard enough. So, without thinking much about it, she grabbed it. A quick, but exhilarating rush of static flowed into her finger tips, and the metal stopped crackling. She examined the little plate, idly wondering if Brigette would miss this tiny plate.

"Mm. That was easy." Jesse sat down next to her, with Hanzo at his other side. "Can you fix the grass now?" He asked sarcastically, tossing away a piece of grass that stuck to his boot.

Arin snorted, running her hand through the charred dirt. "No. And I'm sure you've made bigger messes."

"He has," Hanzo muttered, matter-of-factly, and Jesse nudged him.

"See? _Ragazzo sporco_." Arin tossed the little metal plate aside.

They fell into silence after that. It probably wasn't intended, but it was a chance to relax outside for the first time in a few weeks. Maybe it was Jesse's way of apologizing for yelling, if he had meant to apologize at all. Arin was secretly hoping he did.

When she finally got tired of the sun in her eyes, Arin, one-by-one, placed flowers in the crevices of Hanzo's bow. It occupied the time while the boys meditated and relaxed. It also gave Arin a chance take her mind off of some of the things that stressed her out. Missing home, training, the constant worry of upcoming missions, all left for the few moments she decorated Hanzo's bow.

Hanzo abruptly shifted, and he crouched on the balls of his feet. He had only been sitting for a few minutes now, but apparently that had been enough time for him to decide that he was done.

"You know, Han, you could have said that you didn't like it." Jesse gestured to the bow, staring up at Hanzo with a subtle smile.

"It's not that." Hanzo then raised his hand to silence him, carefully picking up his bow off of the ground. Only a few flowers fell, leaving the rest to sway as Hanzo stood up fully nocked an arrow. Jesse finally got up as Hanzo aimed towards a tree. He released, and Arin watched on in confusion. But even she was able to hear the muffled scream, as short as it lasted. Hanzo's eye's went wide, and the momentary panic that ran through such a serious man filled her with fear.

Jesse grabbed Arin from off of the ground. It was a sudden and gut-lurching motion that made her dizzy, but he had no intention of stopping. Jesse had ditched her chair and sprinted towards the building. Arin felt his hands squeeze at every arrow he heard Hanzo release. He held her tight to his chest, one hand on the back of her head. Arin tried not to draw any more attention to them, but by God did she want to look at what was happening.

A gunshot resonated through the air.

Jesse stumbled, a strangled cry sounding from his throat. They toppled over onto the ground. Arin landed on her back and a wave of heat followed by a numbing pain all over her. Dazed, she pushed herself up onto her elbows. Jesse writhed and groaned in the grass and his hand clung to his side. His face was scrunched in pain as he made an attempt to move.

"Jesse!" Arin grabbed at chunks of weeds and dragged herself across the ground. She latched on to his shoulder, using one final pull to sit herself at his side. Hanzo, by now, had seen where the single shot had landed. Arin looked up to see his eyes dilate, and a chill ran through her. He raced off into the direction of their attacker.

Arin was left by Jesse, and she hoisted him up into her lap. "Hey, come on, come on, look at me!" Arin pleaded, pushing locks of hair out of his face. Her fingers shook as she tried to get him to move his hand so she could see for herself where he was shot, but Jesse violently shook his head, slapping her wrist away with his other hand. She ended up holding her hand there as well.

" _Anija!_ "

Genji.

Arin threw her head up. Genji, with no hesitation, was racing after Hanzo. Both were yelling orders to each other in rushed Japanese. Hanzo threw a finger towards the treetops, followed by what easily could have been a curse. Zenyatta, who must have been with Genji, noticed Arin and Jesse on the ground. The omnic was there in seconds.

"Please, _please_ , Zenyatta, I don't know what to do!" She would beg for anything now. A doctor, a blessing, or a miracle. She had to fight the tears in her eyes and the growing anger in her heart that was getting harder to manage by the second.

The orbs around Zenyatta started to swirl in a bright flash of gold, before one floated down by Jesse's side. A mist- or light- or whatever it was, shined onto his blood stained clothes. Arin watched as Jesse's pained expression lessened to the point where he could open to his eyes. Zenyatta made a quiet noise, a beep if Arin had to name it, and placed a hand on Jesse's shoulder. "I can only do so much. I will call for Dr. Ziegler."

Arin didn't know what to say to that. It irked her that Zenyatta was not more worried than he was. There was no emotion in his voice, not like the times where he sat with her in her hospital bed, telling stories about his travels with Genji. Even then, he had spoken vividly and with passion. But now, when Jesse was gravely wounded, she didn't notice any heat.

Zenyatta looked up at Arin, as if he could tell what she was thinking. He didn't say a word, but Arin had to actively keep herself from speaking her mind.

Jesse, despite still looking like he was about to pass out, forced himself up in a sitting position. She heard the spurs of his boots clink against the rocks in the ground. Jesse ripped off his serape and shoved it into Arin's hands. "Tie it. Quickly."

Arin didn't question it, and worked faster than she ever had before. She strung the serape under his arms, tying the cloth in the middle of his abdomen. He breathed a light sigh of what could have passed as relief, and put his head back against her shoulder. Zenyatta's orb was working.

" ** _Jesse Clinton McCree!_** "

_His middle name was Clinton?_

Arin shook her thought away and looked at the calling voice. Angela was marching over to them, a staff in her hand and bandage in the other. When she got there, she went to work in seconds. Her hands lifted up the serape, taking a quick look at what she was working with. Angela had been talking the entire time, mostly to Jesse, it not to herself. "I told you the last time you got hurt, that if I had to heal you _again_ , I'd run you through the ringer and steal your dessert for _weeks_ -"

Jesse was out of it. Arin only knew this because he giggled. He _g_ _iggled_ in Angela's face. "Oh, Angie, don't-" Jesse coughed. "Don't you worry."

"Shut your mouth." Angela seethed. She untied the serape Arin had just finished knotting and laid the bloody garment across Arin's lap. No time to be mindful of clean clothes, apparently. Angela replaced her hand where the cloth once laid, and a string of gold flowed from her hand down onto the wound. There was a brief flash of light, and Arin had to look away momentarily.

When she turned back, Jesse was being lifted from Arin's arms, unconscious. Angela hoisted Jesse into Zenyatta's hold, and the omnic wordlessly carried him towards the building. Had Angela's healing not work? Why wasn't Jesse awake?

Arin was wiping her tears when Angela pulled her off of the ground. She put her arm around Angela and they hopped and hobbled back over to where her chair had been tossed aside. She balanced on her own as Angela stood it up right, guiding her down into the seat. Her head quickly fell into her hands, and Arin held the driest part of Jesse's serape to her cheek.

"Look at me."

Arin did. Angela placed Jesse's hat-that the wind had blown away-atop of Arin's head. "Jesse is going to be okay. This is not the first time he's been hurt. Where do you think his arm went?" Angela smiled, but Arin grimaced. "I know that this is hard to accept, but when you work in a place like this, it's reality. We have to be grateful that whoever shot him did not aim any higher than they did."

That didn't help Arin. Angela may have been a doctor, but a therapist did not fall under that title. But that was fine, for now; Arin didn't need a therapist. She could yell-quietly- at Jesse's bedside soon enough. 

Angela sighed at the lack of response and started pushing the wheelchair. "I'm sure Jack will be excited to know what happened."

.

.

.

Jack was not excited. For an hour, Arin had been questioned and berated at, though she was sure Jack didn't see it that way. Every time Arin tried to speak, her comments were passed off by Jack, because he had "heard all that he needed to hear". Angela was wheeling her back to her hospital room, explaining that he was doing this out of caution.

"Jack rarely means the things he says. He's only upset. Hanzo and Genji were not able to track down this... sniper, but there are no records of anyone leaving the island. He thinks he knows who it is, but no one knows her motives." Angela stepped in front of the wheelchair to unlock the door.

_Her_? Arin didn't look up. She was running her index finger over the bullets on Jesse's hat, and her other hand held his serape on her lap. What other motives could someone have to show up on a secluded island other than to kill someone? That they didn't even kill!

Arin sighed. What was she mad at? She should be grateful that Jesse hadn't died. Angela told Arin that he was resting, ironically in the room next door, but she wasn't allowed to see him yet. Arin wondered if not being able to see him affected her mood, and the more she thought about it, the more it made sense. But at the time, Arin didn't have the energy in her to fight Angela's orders and only hoped that she could see him before the day ended.

Angela guided the wheelchair inside the room, stopping at the side of the bed. Arin made an attempt to get out of the chair on her own, trying to use her arms and push herself up, but stopped after Angela chided Arin on her technique. With a little help, she settled into bed under her few pounds of blankets Lena had brought her.

So far, Arin hadn't said a word after her interview with Jack. After Angela denied letting her see Jesse, Arin didn't feel the need to talk. She was tired and far from feeling cooperative. Her upbeat attitude ended with that single shot and had been spiraling downward since then. Jesse would have called her grumpy.

There was a light knock on the door. Angela handed Arin a remote for the small bedside TV, along with her phone, and turned towards the doorway. While she checked her notifications, she absent-mindedly noted the conversation at the door, but also a message from Kay. She shamed herself for feeling happy when things could not have been any worse.

Angela opened the door wider, and someone stepped in. "Am I interrupting?"

Arin glanced up. Genji was at the door holding her bouquet, albeit slightly smaller than it was before. He didn't have anything covering his face, and Arin could see the bags under his eyes and the way his shoulders slumped from exhaustion. It would have been a few hours that they've been searching for the sniper, and Arin could only imagine that Genji and Hanzo had initially refused to rest until they found her. Someone must have made them stop.

"No, no. Not at all." Arin pushed herself up to sit and set her phone aside. "You can sit if you want." Arin patted to the spot next to her leg and Genji took the offer with a small sigh.

"The only time I was sitting, I was getting yelled at. Ana is not happy." Genji handed her the flowers and she set them on her bedside table. Arin noticed that he didn't seem as upbeat or cheerful as he usually was-he was more shy than anything. Genji rubbed his hands together and looked down at his lap. "I wanted to ask you a question on behalf of someone else."

Arin scooted back against the headboard of the bed. "Is something wrong?"

Genji shrugged, tilting his head to the side. "Zenyatta wants to know if you're okay after what happened today. You know... up here." He tapped his head.

Arin never thought Genji would be the one to be awkward about good mental health. But the way he held his hands close to his torso and didn't face her made Arin uneasy. Was he being closed off because he thought he messed up? Or did something else happen while Arin was in interrogation? If it was the latter, were they in danger?

But regarding Genji's question, Arin wasn't sure. All of the blood that was shed earlier didn't exactly bother her, but it was something else that made her unhappy. She had an attitude issue to work on, it had been a while since she came to terms with that, but would seeing Zenyatta help her? Silence frustrated Arin, and often times made her shake. If Zenyatta asked her to meditate to work out her issues, she didn't know if she would be able to handle it.

"I think I'll be fine." Arin toyed with the broken hem of Jesse's hat, having kept it close by. "Blood, and for a lack of a better word, gore, doesn't faze me. But, do you think... if something _else_ comes up..."

Genji put his hand on her knee. "If you need anything, we will both be around. I promise."

Arin quietly thanked him, and he excused himself without another word. He must have gotten the answer he was looking for. Arin settled down in the bed, watching the moonlight peak through the crack in her curtains. It was reassuring to know that Zenyatta would still see her, even if it wasn't about what happened this evening. Arin didn't know when, but she wanted to go see him sometime soon. If she couldn't fix her mood issues before Jesse recovered, she would get another earful from him the next time it showed.

Her phone buzzed. It was quick, only vibrating twice before going silent. She reached over and picked it up, mindful of the flowers teetering on the little space they had on her bedside table. Her phone screen lit up when she held it upright, and reminded of who was still waiting for a response.

Hey, Arin. I hope you're doing

well. It's supposed to rain most

of next week so there isn't much

to do outside. I'm wondering if

you wanted to set up a call

instead!

I heard a song on the radio and

it sounded like something you

would listen too. Ever heard of

"What You Know" by "Two Door

Cinema Club"?

That sounds like a great idea!

If you're up for it, we could

even video call. I will be sure to

find time in the coming days

so we can make it happen

And I do know that one, actually!

I love their music. I can't believe

you've already figured out my

taste :)

Arin couldn't help but smile to herself, tossing her phone aside before she made herself look like an even bigger loser. She asked Athena to turn off the lights in the room, so the only glow left was from her tiny television. Not sure what to do with her flowers, she opened a water bottle and put in as many stems as she could. It would make do, for now. She turned onto her side, and fell fast asleep to the dull noises of the TV.


	15. A Wounded Realization

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School started again, if you couldn't tell by the month long wait... oops. Anyway, like I said before, I'm not abandoning either of my stories. They're all completed in one way or another. I just only have a few hours in a week to work on something that I'm okay with. That will be the expectations for a while-what I think is good enough for me.
> 
> See you again soon!

Kaylo stuffed his hands in his pockets and fiddled with a vial. Amélie would be coming back soon, wounded, but alive. The water would have washed out the worsts of her cut and any poison lingering on the surface. But Hanzo Shimada didn't seem like the kind of man to lace his arrows anyway.

He stared out at the ocean. There was a ripple of water just below docks and Kaylo looked down. He saw her ponytail first, then the snorkel that was so quickly ripped off. She threw it onto the dock and then started to hoist herself up. Kaylo pulled her up the rest. Amélie gritted her teeth and yanked the arrow from her shoulder, stomping on it with vigor. "I'm going to kill him."

"I know, I know," Kaylo reassured. "Come on." He offered her an arm that she swatted away with a curse.

"I'm going to get a mission from Gabriel and I'm going to _murder_ that man." Amélie gripped her wound and walked along side him. "Do you remember what that girl did as well? They're up to something, Salas." Amélie seethed and stormed ahead of him. Kaylo had never seen her more furious. Many times her silence was enough to convey it, but this was different. All he could do was agree.

But Amélie mentioning Arin brought up something he had momentarily forgotten about. Kaylo and Amélie watched Arin pick up something from the ground that _definitely_ should have done damage. Even from the camera Kaylo could tell that it held an absurd amount of electricity that would normally hurt.

They rounded the alleyway behind his apartment. Kaylo needed to reason with her somehow. "You can't forget that you hit the cowboy. That's enough for now."

Amélie scoffed and aggressively pointed towards the front the building. "Go open the window."

Kaylo raised his hands in defense and sauntered off towards the entrance. Grappling might hurt her shoulder, but telling her that now would make her livid. He unlocked the door and hopped up the stairs. After opening his door he kicked his dirty clothes into the closet and threw the pillows back onto his bed. He slid the window open and peered down at Amélie. She hissed sharply on the way in, but stepped onto the carpet with the delicacy of a ballerina.

"Sit at the desk." Kaylo pulled the vial from his pocket and a small box from under the bed.

She paced the room instead, her anger slowly turning into visual disgust. "How do you live like this."

Kaylo turned and glared at her. "I don't have to help you, you know that, right? If you're going to criticize how I live then get out."

Amélie returned his glare with an equal amount of ferocity, but after a moment, she sat back in the chair. "If you weren't Gabriel's favorite I'd kill _you_ too."

Kaylo smiled, more to himself than anything, and handed her a vial of anesthetics. He trusted her to know how to use it, and he turned to start prepping sutures. With a grunt he rolled the kinks out of his neck and pulled up a chair next to Amélie's right side. "Would you rather me cut the fabric or do you think you can be modest?"

She huffed and pulled her suit off her arm with a pained wince. "You're an adult. Cleavage is the least of your worries."

Kaylo shrugged. "Sorry, _soleil_. I'm seeing other people." He pinched the area around the wound, and when Amélie didn't react, he started stitching. It was quiet work that didn't require much thinking. His hands moved carefully; smooth was steady, steady was fast. Amélie even seemed to take advantage of the time to relax, and Kaylo hummed a quiet tune as he worked.

There were many times, when Moira wasn't around, that Kaylo had to stitch up Gabriel on missions. Kaylo learned from Gabriel and had done the procedure thousands of times before. After all, vials of magical healing liquid weren't always readily available. Doing stitches on Amélie wasn't that different.

Some time had passed before Amélie opened her eyes. Kaylo noticed the wrinkles of anger that once creased her face were gone. She eyed him from the side. "Are we going to address your girl, _loverboy_?"

He pursed his lips. "I can't think of any reason for how she did what she did. It... it was supernatural. But maybe it was aided by a machine and we just saw something wrong."

Amélie stared off in thought. "She's dangerous," Amélie said quietly.

Kaylo knew that. "I know..."

"You're getting yourself into something bad."

" _I know_ _!_ " Kaylo shut his eyes tight and paused the stitching. Arin was deadly, not just dangerous. He had told himself time and time again that if Arin found out who he really was, it would be hell. There had never been a doubt about _that_. She was with Overwatch; she would know how to fight. "After what happened tonight she will be more suspicious. It's..." He opened his eyes and sighed. "It's hard to act like an adult when I still feel like a teenager."

Amélie shifted slightly in her seat. "I don't know what to tell you. Sometimes I wonder if you realize who I really am."

_A cold killer._ It was left unsaid, merely a thought in his head. It was already obvious to the both of them. Kaylo opened his eyes started to come to a finish. "Is he here?" he asked after a moment.

"Up to his head in paperwork, but yes." She rolled her shoulders.

"How mad would he be if he found out about her... I don't know... powers?" He mumbled quietly, knotting the end of the stitch. He cut the end and wheeled away in his chair towards a pile of bandage on his bed.

Amélie scoffed. "For you? He'd stop anything."

Kaylo craned his neck with another shrug. "That's not totally true. Isn't he _also_ suppose to be a cold blooded killer?"

"Unlike someone else I know," Amélie vaguely gestured to herself. "He's still a human deep down. With feelings."

Kaylo bandaged her arm. She wasn't wrong-Gabriel allowed himself to be vulnerable at very specific moments. But Kaylo had never bothered Gabriel while he was working. He was always invited or shooed away by someone else.

"I think you should tell him regardless. The more everyone knows, the better. Except for Sombra." Amélie added with a foul look.

Kaylo made a 'hmph' sound and found himself smiling again. "I would not be surprised if she already knew." He moved to sit on the end of his bed. "What do I tell him?"

"I don't know... that she can take away electricity?" Amélie wasn't much help was she.

He dropped his head into his hands. "When would she even have gotten them?"

Amélie didn't answer him at first. "That's for you to figure out." He heard her stand up and walk towards the balcony. It was nearly pitch black outside, mind the few indoor lights peeking through the window when they first arrived.

Kaylo fell back on the bed with a dramatic sigh. "Have fun hitting the..." his words came to a slow stop. Power lines... _power lines_.

Amélie turned around to stare, and when he sat up she looked as equally surprised. "What?"

Kaylo started laughing hysterically and threw his hands in the air. "The power lines!" He rolled off the bed and moved towards his computer, opening up a file that Gabriel sent him when he first started his mission. "You were taking pictures of Overwatch loading Arin on the boat, right?"

She stared at him with mild confusion. "Yes?"

"In the pictures Gabriel showed me they were treating her for wounds on her back, so she definitely was affected by the electricity. When she fell onto them something stayed with her and that- that's how she did the thing!" To Amélie, Kaylo probably looked like a maniac. He sure felt like one. But the look Amélie gave him, something of awe and astonishment, made him grin.

Amélie waved her hands at him and pointed to the door. "Go see him then," she pushed, yanking a jacket from the chair and pushing it into his arms. "I'll-" she beckoned him towards the balcony doors. "I'll take you."

Kaylo suppressed a giggle and threw on his jacket. He clung to Amélie as she grappled to the rooftops. As the wind whipped through his hair, he felt like he was on top of the world. He cracked a case he didn't even know he had. Now, because of it, they would have an upper hand on Overwatch for the first time in _years_.

He cheered and howled and let the wind blow away his worries. In a way, he was his own hero.

There was no way he'd let the moment go.


	16. The Panic in Waiting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one... 👁👄👁

She paced the hallways. Stopped at one end, and turned around. Stopped at the other end, and turned around.

Jesse was going to wake up soon. He had been put in a coma for three days to let his body rest after surgery. He had been through lots of hardships before, and unlike Arin, he wasn't losing a limb. She trusted he would wake up and be okay.

But Arin was not the only person affected by Jesse's condition. When she finally got tired of walking, she would go and sit next to Hanzo. She had handed over the hat and serape to him a few nights ago, knowing that if there was anyone more upset than her, it would be him. And there the archer sat-sitting with a clean serape on his shoulders and a hat on his head, waiting for the news that his cowboy was awake. He seldom spoke.

She started to come to a slow stop in front of Hanzo and the door. Her stomach ached with emptiness and growled at every turn and pause. Arin hadn't eaten since the night before, and now it was well into the afternoon. After Angela told her today would be the day, her restlessness itched at her skin and made her ornery.

"I can hear your stomach from here." Hanzo ran his fingers across the hem of Jesse's serape.

Arin waved him off and sat down. "I'll eat when he wakes up."

Hanzo exhaled through his nose with a subtle annoyance she barely picked up. "He would chide you for your neglects."

"Yeah, well, if I can ignore yours then I will be just fine," She said curtly, shoving her hands in the pocket of her sweatshirt. When Hanzo didn't respond right away, she pulled the neck of it over her nose and slouched down in the chair. It was her oldest brother's sweatshirt that her mom gave her when Arin moved to Elláda. It still smelt like his cigarette smoke.

"Go eat. You're getting upset because you're hungry."

"I'm fine. Stop making it into a big deal!" Arin threw her hands up, feeling a tingling sensation prick at her shoulders and fingertips. But at the realization of her words, she pursed her lips.

"Go."

" _Togliti di dosso_." She begrudgingly got up from her chair. The movement created another rumble in her stomach and before Hanzo could make a remark, she held up her index finger and shushed him heatedly. "I'll be back."

She started walking. As the uncomfortable white noise of the infirmary faded away, she could pick up the sound of talking from one of the offices. The closer she came to the doorway, the more each voice distinguished than the others. Jack's voice, unsurprisingly, was the loudest of the ones she could hear. Ana was second.

"Jack, that is not something we can just walk into. We need preparation and you know that." Ana was pushing for something that Arin had yet to hear. She faltered at the side of the door, pressing herself against the wall. If it was more important than what Arin was allowed to know, they should have shut the door.

"I know Ana, but this is our only chance. Angela has seen him before, and we have him by the hair. If we want something from him, we can get it." She heard Jack drop his hands down on the table. With that, Arin moved on.

Arin hurried past the door and down the hallway towards the cafeteria. It was nearly silent after that. The sound of her slippers sliding against the floor mixed with the fluorescence lights blinking above eased her into sickness, but at that point she didn't know if it was also because she was hungry or impatient.

She came to a stop in front of the cupboards. The sound of her heart beating in her chest came to her attention as it started speeding up. It sounded off. Her throat felt parched when she tried to swallow, and a newfound tightness surrounded her lungs like a vice. Ciro's sweatshirt no longer brought her the comfort she needed. She wanted it off but her arms wouldn't move. 

Her legs began to shake so she slid down to the ground. There was something fueling her panic but for the love of god she couldn't figure it out. Silence? Hunger? She needed to eat. But her body felt numb and she couldn't get back up. Her stomach started to hurt, and there was a rise of bile in her throat. So much was happening. Too much was happening.

Arin started to cry. It stung to sob, the cries bubbling out of her throat like sandpaper, but without a clue what was happening she felt it was the only thing she could do. She pulled her knees to chest and buried her head into the crevasse. She started to hum to herself. The shaking turned to rocking. She must have looked insane. As the humming tuned out the rest of the room, a faint calling pulled her from the dizziness in her mind.

It sounded like Kaylo. The gentle bass of his voice made her heart fuzzy, but as it faded away, a gnawing in her stomach became more pressing than the feelings she had for him. The growling and rumble pulled a groan from her throat.

"Arin?"

She inhaled sharply to steady herself. The sudden pressure through her body made her lurch forward, and the bile she had once tried to contain was now on the floor and possibly her feet. They felt wet.

"Oh- okay." She heard the sound of feet thud against the floor, then at her side. A hand caressed her shoulder with such gentleness that it made her shiver. It was cold. She shocked it away out of fear, and a light curse filled the silence in her ears. _Who was there?_ "Arin... _Arashi_ , look at me." She slowly pulled her head from her knees. It was Hanzo. The gnawing, scared feeling that she once held faded. "What's wrong? How can I help?"

Arin was pushed to think. She didn't know what she wanted-at her current state, she wouldn't be able to hold down food. Or water, for that matter.

Hanzo stepped in after a few seconds. "Let me-" He pulled a napkin off of the counter and touched it to her cheek, wiping off the remnants of her puke. "What's one thing you see?"

She sniffed, and looked down at her toes. "Puke," she whispered.

Hanzo shifted where he kneeled. "That... works. What's one thing you hear?"

Arin listened. And then the feeling of dread in her stomach came back when there was nothing to hear. She started to shake and the tears dried on her cheek became wet again. Hanzo saw this and the panic in his eyes made her whine.

"Hey, hey... you can hear me can't you?" Hanzo tapped his thumb against her shoulder. "Will you try to stand up, please?"

She craned her neck to the side and silently grabbed on to his forearms. Together they pulled her weak body from the floor. Hanzo sidestepped the bile and took Arin over to the counter. He sat her down while talking-more to himself, Arin noticed-but enough to keep her from falling back into a panic. She didn't know what he was saying; she wasn't tuned in to herself at that moment. The worry and panic shifted away from the forefront of her mind.

Hanzo opened the fridge. She heard a few bowls clink and the sound of the microwave opening and shutting. Hanzo stepped away, past Arin, and to the bathroom. Arin heard the beep of the microwave as he came back. It must have gone for some time; he looked surprised to see Arin had not moved to stop it. But swift realization set in, and he must have known for sure that she needed something to listen too. That moment had settled the facts in Arin's head too.

Hanzo moved over to the microwave as Arin stared down at the counter. He slid a bowl of leftover ramen and a pair of chopsticks in front of her. It took her an uncomfortable amount of time to realize that the food was for her, and when she did, she frowned. "I don't know how to use chopsticks," She said slowly.

Arin could hear him laugh as he sat down beside her. "Give it a shot. It will give you something to focus on." He pushed the sticks closer to her. Arin took them and exhaled. They sat awkwardly in her fingers as she picked up noodles from the bowl.

"Let me tell you a story." Hanzo shifted closer to the counter.

Arin chewed her food. "What kind of story?"

"How I met Jesse."

"Mm... okay." Arin continued to eat.

"Four years ago, Genji and I... reunited, so to speak." Hanzo crossed his arms and straightened up in his chair. "I had just found out that he was alive and living after such a long time-I'll spare you the details of that until I think you'll be able to handle it, but I... I caused Genji great harm when we were younger. I am, unfortunately, the reason Genji has a lot of the cybernetics he does today. When Genji and I met again, he was getting ready to return to Overwatch. I, not knowing where to go, went with him. It was a lot of paperwork for an organization that was barely afloat, but soon I was in the system as a member."

Hanzo paused as Arin slurped.

"When Genji and I arrived here, we were greeted by Morrison, Amari, Doctor Ziegler, and Jesse. Genji was... ecstatic. He and Jesse were reunited-a testament to their Blackwatch days. However, upon seeing _me_... Jesse's attitude changed quickly. He came up me, angrier than I had ever seen a man be, put his finger in my face and whispered, 'I know exactly who you are, Shimada. Don' think for a second I will let you get over what you did to him.'" Hanzo imitated Jesse's voice in a way that got Arin to muster a smile.

"Genji intervened. Jesse was thoroughly taken aback by Genji's anger, which was directed towards him rather than me. My brother explained the situation, but Jesse didn't care at that moment, so I was escorted inside by Amari and Morrison while they talked. It was an odd feeling... I hadn't said a word, yet Jesse was firm to hold on to the feelings he had."

Arin stirred around the contents in her broth. "So how did you two get to the way you are today?"

Hanzo started to grin. "Genji. He was invested in our relationship after Jesse stopped hating me. Jesse started to tolerate me, and I couldn't deny that I liked didn't like him, he's strong and stubborn, but as equally as soft. He was, and still is, every dichotomy I can think of. Warm sunlight to a pounding thunderstorm. A soft woven blanket to the hard fibers of hay. I could go on, but I'm positive you get the point." Hanzo rubbed the back of his neck. Arin cringed, but Hanzo didn't look embarrassed. He seemed proud.

"There was one night, when Jesse and I both happened to be awake, that we stumbled upon each other in the garden. He offered me a cigarette and started rambling on about nonsense when he apologized. It was sudden and out of the blue." Hanzo's smile turned somber. "But the only reason I knew he was sincere was because he started to fidget. I don't know if you know this, but when Jesse is nervous, he either smokes, or tugs at his clothes. Stray fibers, the hem, the bullets on his hat, anything he can get his hands on. Genji told me that weeks before with a plethora of other information, but that was what stuck.

"So I forgave Jesse. From then on, the hard-stuck cowboy that was willing to put up a fight at any sign of me, grew fond to the point it was almost sickening," Hanzo laughed. "He took me to Ilios on what he claimed was a date, then a bar in Oasis while we were on a mission, and diner in America that served disgusting coffee. It truly was awful." Hanzo's face scrunched in distaste. "But it was at that diner that he confessed his feelings. Up until then I thought he was joking around-but I wasn't about to say _no_." Arin made a 'hmph' sound with a smile and Hanzo continued. "That was all a year ago... He has changed in those few years. I don't think you would have recognized the Jesse I met."

"I beg to differ," Arin mumbled quietly as she ran her thumb over the edge of the bowl. "But that's a cute story... gives me a little hope."

She felt Hanzo pat her shoulder, and he stood up from his stool. "Come. I think he is awake."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The way my writing is slowing getting more... ew... is funny, teehee. I'm not editing as much as I should be. Anyway, see you again soon!


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